


Fallen Dragons

by Shuichi_Akai



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Baby Law, Corazon adopts Law, Corazon is a pirate, Corazon is adopted by pirates, Corazon isn't a Marine, Draco Pirates - Freeform, Gen, OC Pirate crew, Papa Cora, Pirates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-05-30 16:03:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 22,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15100232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shuichi_Akai/pseuds/Shuichi_Akai
Summary: Rather than being adopted by Sengoku, Rocinante is taken in by a kind pirate crew. As he grows up, his hatred for his older brother remains. Years later, the two encounter each other. Will their relationship mend or remain broken? [Hiatus]





	1. Arc I Chapter I

                His mother was dead…His father was dead…His brother had left…And now he was all alone….

                His clothes and skin were caked with dirt and blood. Some of the blood was his own, but most of it had been his father’s. When his brother had fired the single bullet into Homing’s head, blood has splashed onto Rocinante from being in front of their father, still held in a warm hug as his father smiled despite knowing Doflamingo was going to kill him. After Doflamingo had decapitated their father’s corpse and left for Mariejois, Rocinante was hugging the headless body.

                “Father…” Rocinante still sobbed, although quieter now. “M-Mother’s already g-gone a-and brother l-l-left…P-Please F-Father…” He knew that his voice was reaching no one. “I d-don’t w-w-want to be a-alone…”

                _‘Why did everything have to turn out this way?’_ Rocinante thought. _‘Father just wanted us to live amongst everyone else! So why!?’_ He buried his face in his father’s chest. _‘Father was a kind person! Mother was a kind person! Why did they hurt us!? Why did they want to kill us!?’_ “I don’t understand…what did we do wrong?”

XXX

                Rocinante groggily awoke to footsteps. “What?” His eyes registered to the dried blood on his clothes and the events from before came flooding back. _‘D-Did brother come back?’_ He fearfully looked up at the person who had arrived.

It wasn’t his brother.

                It was a young man who was probably in his mid to late teen years. He had short, spiky, orange hair and green eyes. The teenager stared at Rocinante and Homing’s corpse, his eyes wide at the sight. “What the hell happened here?”

                “We found the Celestial Dragons!”

                “Get them!”

                “Kill the Celestial Dragons!”

                Within a few minutes, a crowd of villagers had gathered around them. The mob wasn’t as large as it was the first day the Donquixote’s had arrived and most of them had probably been killed off by Doflamingo and the four new friends he had made earlier. The villagers were still fueled by their hatred and held pitchforks, torches, swords, spears, bows, and arrows.

                The teenager noticed that the villagers’ anger was directed towards the child. “What the hell is wrong with you people!?” He took a step in front of Rocinante to shield him. “Can’t you see that this _child_ is _mourning_ over his father!?”

                The mob silenced, shocked that someone was defending the boy. “He’s a ‘former’ Celestial Dragon that left the Holy Land to ‘live as humans’!” One man spoke up. “He deserves to die for all the suffering the Celestial Dragons have caused us!”

                “That’s bullshit,” The teen’s eyes narrowed in disgust. “If they chose to leave Mariejois on their own accord, then you shouldn’t be trying to murder them! It just proves that they aren’t assholes like the rest!”

                “If you’re gonna get in our way, then we’ll just kill you too!” The villagers charged towards the man.

                _‘W-Why isn’t he moving out of the way?’_ Rocinante asked himself.

                The teen was pissed off. He didn’t run away and leave the boy for dead. Instead, he fought off the villagers with his bare hands, despite having a sword strapped to his back. He simply kicked and punched the villagers, dodging or blocking their own attacks. The villagers outnumbered him greatly, but he still overpowered them. As most of the villagers fell unconscious, the remaining ones realized that they were no match and ran away.

                Rocinante whimpered as the teen turned to him. The orange-haired boy knelt down and looked at Rocinante and then to Homing’s corpse. “Do you want to bury him?”

                Rocinante hadn’t expected that question and stared in confusion at the man before slowly nodding, not wanting to make the newcomer lose his patience and hurt him like he did with the villagers.

                “Do you have any specific place you want to bury him?”

                Again, that was another unexpected question. But Rocinante nodded quickly. “W-With…M-Mother…”

                “Can you walk?”

                Rocinante carefully struggled to his feet but managed to remain standing. “Y-Yes…”

                The teen carefully picked up the headless body. “Lead the way,”

                Rocinante slowly led him to the forest, tripping along the way. He had expected to be yelled at to hurry up, but the stranger was patient and helped Rocinante up whenever he fell. They finally reached their destination: the grave of Donquixote Mari, marked by a small piles of stones and a few flowers. The older boy gently placed Homing’s body on the ground and began to dig a hole beside Mari’s grave.

                _‘Why is he helping me?’_ Rocinante thought. _‘Why didn’t he just let the villagers kill me?’_

                The grave was shallow but was deep enough for the body to be fully concealed. Homing was placed inside of the rectangular hole and covered with a thin layer of dirt. Another pile of stone and flowers was set as a grave marker.

                “The name’s Dante,” The teenager finally introduced himself. “Kid, what’s your name?”

                “R-Rocinante…” Rocinante mumbled barely loud enough for Dante to understand.

                Dante knelt down to Rocinante’s level. “I know that this is where your parents are buried and you probably don’t want to leave them so soon. I know that you’re probably reluctant to trust me because we just met. But if you stay here, the villagers _will_ come back,”

                “I-I have no place to go,” Rocinante stuttered, looking down as tears began to form again.

                Dante put a hand gently to Rocinante’s shoulder. “Would you like to come with me and my crew? I promise that we’ll protect you,”

                Rocinante’s eyes widened and he began to cry.

                He cried because he had lost both of his parents.

                He cried because his brother had abandoned him.

                He cried because this stranger was showing him kindness, despite knowing that he was a former Celestial Dragon.


	2. Arc I Chapter II

                Dante carried Rocinante in his arms, the latter having collapsed out of exhaustion. As he walked towards the shore where his ship was docked, he noticed the weight of the child. _‘He’s very light. How much has he eaten in the past few days? How long did he and his family suffer in these conditions?’_ His eyes narrowed as he noticed the injuries on the boy. _‘People can be so cruel,’_

                A few minutes later, they finally reached the ship. “Dante,” A teenage girl with light blue hair and golden eyes looked to the child. “What happened?”

                “Bring him to the med bay first,” Dante ordered. “We’re leaving this island. The people from the village disgusts me. Is everyone here?”

                “Yeah,” The teen nodded, taking Rocinante from Dante. “I’ll inform the others that we’re setting sail,” _‘He rarely uses that tone. He also immediately had a dislike for the islanders. Are they the ones responsible for this boy’s injuries?’_ She boarded their ship, Dante following suit. She heard Dante calling out orders to leave as she headed to the med bay. The girl cleaned up most of the dirt blood and dirt as best as she could, but he would definitely be needing new clothes.

                “Bro…ther…” Rocinante mumbled quietly, but the girl managed to hear him.

                _‘Poor thing,’_ She quickly sanitized the wounds, applied medicine, and wrapped them up. The boy winced a bit but remained unconscious. _‘You must be in pain,’_ She took out a small needle and filled it with some liquid painkiller. “This will help numb your body while you rest,”

                “Sky, how’s the kid?” Dante asked, entering the room.

                “His wounds aren’t too bad,” Sky answered. “I’m more worried about how malnourished he is. He’s way too light and skinny. Dante, what happened?”

                “He’s a former Celestial Dragon,” Dante informed. “His family left Mariejois to live amongst commoners but apparently the villagers wanted to take their hatred out of them. Both of his parents are dead,”

                “What about his brother?” Sky inquired.

                Dante stared at her in confusion. “He told me that he had no place to go. I only saw his parents’ graves. I didn’t know anything about a brother,”

                “Maybe I misheard,” Sky said. “He was mumbling after all,”

XXX

                Rocinante woke and sat up, rubbing his eyes. _‘Where am I?’_ He looked around and realized that he was alone. Just as he was about to call his parents, he remembered that they were dead. His stomach growled loudly and Rocinante winced at the pain.

                The door opened and Sky entered with a tray of food. “You’re awake,” She sat down on the chair beside the bed. “I was about to wake you up. I brought you some dinner,” She stood the tray up in front of Rocinante. “I didn’t want to give you anything too heavy so I prepared simple foods such as bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast,”

                Rocinante looked down at the food. His eyes landed on the toast and he bit his lower lip, recalling the time he and his brother had stolen a loaf of bread and ended up getting beat up. His stomach churned at the memory.

                “You don’t like toast?” Sky asked, noticing the boy’s discomfort. She received a nod so she picked up the piece of bread and began to eat it herself. “Don’t worry, I won’t force you to eat anything you don’t want to,”

                Rocinante gulped at the rest of the food on the tray. “Can…Can I really eat all of this?”

                Sky smiled. “Of course. You’re under the Draco Pirates’ care now,”

                _‘Pirates!?’_ Rocinante became even more nervous. _‘A-Are they going to kill me!? Or are they going to turn me into their slave!?’_ He looked back down to the food in front of him. _‘B-But they’re feeding me so they can’t be bad, right?’_

                “Is something wrong?” Sky interrupted Rocinante’s thoughts. “Are you allergic to bananas, rice, and applesauce? The chicken soup will take a few more minutes to cook but I can serve it to you once it’s finished,”

                “T-This is fine,” Rocinante stuttered. He carefully picked up the spoon and began to eat some of the mashed bananas. His mouth was filled with the banana’s flavor. Although it was a simple taste, it was better than the trash that Rocinante had been forced to eat for the past two years. He began to stuff his mouth with the food, tears streaming down.

                “Hey, hey,” Sky put a hand to Rocinante’s shoulder, causing him to flinch at the physical contact. Noticing this, Sky pulled her hand away. “Sorry about that. Your food’s not going to run away, so you should slow down. I don’t want you choking,”

                Rocinante nodded and ate slower. He was full before everything was finished but still tried to continue eating.

                “Don’t force yourself if you can’t eat anymore,” Sky advised. “You’ll get a stomach ache. The crew won’t let you starve ever again,”

XXX

                “Sicarius, can Rocinante borrow some clothes until we buy some for him?” Dante requested.

                Sicarius was a boy a few years older than Rocinante with messy dark purple hair and golden eyes. “Why should I?”

                “It’s only a few clothes,” Dante told him. “I’ll also buy you new ones if you want,”

                “He’s a _Celestial Dragon_!” Sicarius snapped. “Why would I help the likes of him!?”

                “Sicarius, not all Celestial Dragons are cruel,” Dante said. “Give him a chance. He’s only a child,”

                “ _All_ Celestial Dragons are the same!” Sicarius shouted. “He’ll just grow up to be like them! His ancestors have caused so much grief!”

                “If a person is to be held accountable for their family’s actions,” Dante asked. “Then shouldn’t you hate me?”

                “You’re different…” Sicarius mumbled.

                “Please Sicarius, give him a chance,”


	3. Arc I Chapter III

                Sky had left for dinner with the rest of the crew and was giving Rocinante some space. Rocinante sat alone in the med bay. He stared at the bandages on his body. _‘Dante-san saved me from the villagers. His friend tended to my wounds. She also gave me food. But…why? They said that they’re pirates and Mother and Father said that pirates were bad people,’_

                The door opened and Rocinante looked up. “Hey,” Dante greeted softly. “Um, I brought you a change of clothes. The ones you’re wearing are all torn and dirty,” He placed the clothes beside Rocinante. “They’re actually Sicarius’ clothes but I told him that I’d get him more at the next island. We’ll also buy you some clothes of your own. Sicarius’ are a bit too big for you,”

                Rocinante stared at the clothes and picked them up. “Why?”

                “Huh?” Dante blinked. “Why what?”

                “Why are you people so kind to me?” He tightened his grip on the clothes. “You’re pirates…But pirates are bad people, right? So why did you save me!? The villagers were supposed to be nice people but all they did was hurt us! I…I’m so confused!”

                “What is a pirate?” Dante asked calmly. “You were taught that all pirates steal, kill, and destroy, right?” He received a nod. “By definition, a pirate is a person who raises a Jolly Roger. It doesn’t matter if they save people or kill them. A Jolly Roger means you’re a pirate and the Marines have the right to arrest you. Besides, if I was a bad guy why would I save you if I wanted to hurt you?”

                “Why did you become a pirate?” Rocinante asked.

                “There are two types of pirate, a peace main and a morganeer,” Dante explained. “A morganeer fights for treasure and personal ambition. They are greedy and love to fight just to cause others pain and misery. They’re the types of pirates that people usual think when they hear the word pirates. But my crew and I are mostly peace mains. We are pirates for mostly adventure,”

                “Adventure?”

                “We can’t really drop you off at any random island we come across,” Dante told him. “So how about it? Want to join the Draco Pirates? We take care of each other and we’ll also help you to get stronger,” He offered a hand to the eight year old.

 _‘I don’t really have a choice,’_ Rocinante thought. He thought back to how he couldn’t do anything to stop his brother from pulling the trigger. _‘I want to become stronger! I want to be able to protect the people I care about!’_ He shook Dante’s hand.

                “Get changed and I’ll introduce you to the others after dinner,”

XXX

                Dante had led Rocinante to the living room. “This is my crew, the rest of the Draco Pirates,” Dante introduced. “You’ve already met Sky, our doctor and our cook. Word of advice, _don’t_ piss her off, especially right before a battle,”

                “If your wounds start bothering you,” The blue haired girl said. “Come to me and I’ll give you some painkillers,”

                Next to Sky was a man with wavy black and brown eyes who seemed to be in his early to mid-twenties. He was the tallest of the group and had the most muscles. “I’m Fang,” He grinned down at the boy in an attempt to frighten him.

                Rocinante whimpered and hid behind Dante’s leg. Sky hit the back of Fang’s head, though it didn’t really affect him. “Stop scaring him!”

                “Tch, what a crybaby,” Sicarius commented. “Way to pick a weakling Dante,”

                “I-I’m not a crybaby!” Rocinante stuttered.

                Sicarius glared down at him, causing Rocinante to hide behind Dante again. “Those are my clothes,”

                “I told you that I was letting him use some until we reach the next island,” Dante claimed.

                “Why did you give him _my_ clothes!?” Sicarius demanded.

                “I’m sorry,” Rocinante whispered. “I c-can give t-them back,”

                “Tch, you probably ruined them already,” Sicarius turned around and started to head to the men’s quarters. “Celestial Dragon are all the same! They always take what’s yours, no matter how little you have!” He slammed his door shut.

                “I apologize for Sicarius-san’s behavior,” The last crew member, a man in his early thirties with white hair and a fake beard for some reason, bowed to Rocinante and knelt down to his level. “I am Zane,”

                “I’m Rocinante…” The boy whispered, still nervous around the pirate crew.

                Dante sighed. “At least it’s only Sicarius that I have to worry about, not all of you,”

                “By the way, Roci,” Sky began.

                Rocinante stiffened at being called that name. _Roci._ That was the nickname that his family used for him.

                “Do you have a brother?” Sky asked. “I think you were mumbling about him earlier,”

                Rocinante didn’t immediately answer. _‘Doffy…He killed Father and abandoned me. He left me all alone. If these people hadn’t found me, then I would’ve been killed!’_ He curled his hands into fists. _‘Brothers aren’t supposed to abandon each other! Brothers are supposed to stick together! What kind of brother murders their father and leaves their younger brother for dead!?’_ Rocinante’s response was in a cold tone. “No. I don’t have a brother,”

                _‘He’s lying,’_ Dante thought. _‘Even thought I have never this kid before, I already know that Rocinante is Homing-san’s son. Homing-san was kind and caring and I can tell that Rocinante is too. He probably has his reasons for lying about his brother, but I won’t push the topic. Homing-san, I promise that I’ll protect your son,’_

                “Zane, can you show Rocinante to the men’s quarters?” Dante asked.

                “Of course Dante-san,” Zane bowed. “Please follow me, Rocinante-san,”

                As Rocinante took a step to follow the white haired man, he tripped. But before he could hit the ground, Dante caught him. “Are you alright? If you’re too tired, I can have Zane carry you,”

                “I-I’m fine,” Rocinante claimed.

XXX

                It was night. Everyone was supposed to be sleeping, but Sicarius was wide awake. _‘If no one’s gonna get rid of that damn Celestial Dragon, then I’ll do it!’_ He reached under his pillow where a dagger was. He kept the weapon nearby in case of a sneak attack at night. Carefully standing up, he tiptoed across the room to the bunk Rocinante was in. He looked at the other bunks but each bunk had the rise and fall of the person’s breathing. He raised the dagger. _‘DIE CELESTIAL DRAGON!’_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Draco Pirates’ Ages:  
> Dante: 18 years old  
> Sky: 17 years old  
> Sicarius: 12 years old  
> Zane: 31 years old  
> Fang: 23 years old  
> Rocinante: 8 years old


	4. Arc I Chapter IV

                The dagger clashed against the blanket imbued with Armament Haki. Dante sat up in the bunk beside Rocinante’s with a serious expression, his hand having gripped Rocinante’s blanket seconds before Sicarius stabbed it. “Sicarius, you would actually go as far as to kill a child?”

                “He’s a Celestial Dragon!” Sicarius screamed. “Why can’t you see that he’s the same as all of the others!?”

                “Why can’t you see that he’s different?” Dante asked. “I knew his father. His father was a kind man. He claimed that Celestial Dragons were humans too,”

                “That brat is still a monster!” Sicarius shouted.

                “Am I a monster too?” Dante questioned. “You know what I am and what I was,”

                “You’re different!” Sicarius cried out. “Stop comparing yourself to that brat!”

                “What makes him different from me?”

                “Can both of you shut the hell up and kill each other later?” Fang yelled. “I’m trying to sleep here!”

                Dante removed the blanket. “Rocinante, are you alright?”

                Rocinante had an expression full of terror and was curled up in a ball. “S-Stop this please! Just kill me already!” He was having flashbacks of when he was tied up and blindfolded over an inferno.

                Sicarius tried to stab Rocinante once more but Dante grabbed the boy’s wrist. “Go to the deck,”

                “I’m going to kill him!” Sicarius tried to pull his arm free but Dante’s grip was strong.

                “DECK! NOW!”

                Everyone else had woken up by then. They had never heard Dante yell like that. He had never shouted at them with such anger before. Even when they did something stupid that nearly killed them, the worry was obvious in his voice. However, the tone he had just used now was only full of anger.

                Sicarius jerked his arm free and sprinted pass Sky who was at the doorway. Sky watched as Sicarius disappeared from her view and then turned back to Dante and Rocinante. Dante was gently rubbing the boy’s back. Rocinante continued to sob loudly, mumbled a few coherent words every few seconds.

                “Go deal with Sicarius,” Sky sat down beside Rocinante. “I’ll comfort Roci,”

XXX

                Sicarius was angrily throwing empty barrels, smashing them against the deck. “Sicarius,” Dante approached him with a stern expression. “That’s enough,”

                “You knew that he was a Celestial Dragon!” Sicarius snapped. “You knew that I hated them! You knew what they did to me! Why the hell did you bring him with you!?”

                “He would’ve been killed by the villagers,” Dante answered. “His parents were both dead. He was all alone, just like you had once been,”

                “The only reason I was all alone was because the Celestial Dragons killed my entire family!” Sicarius screamed. “They not only killed my family, but destroyed the entire island because we couldn’t pay the Heavenly Tribute! I was the only survivor and they took me as a slave!”

                “Sicarius…those Celestial Dragons that took everything that you loved away from you…” Dante reminded. “They were my parents…” He knelt down and put an arm to Sicarius’ shoulder. “Rocinante’s father, Homing-san, taught me that I was a human too, not a god. If it wasn’t for him, I would’ve turned out like the rest of the Celestial Shitheads,”

                Sicarius gripped his chest. “I…I can’t accept him!”

                Dante sighed. “Rocinante will be sleeping in the women’s quarters with Sky. I can’t let this stunt go unpunished though. You’re on cleaning and bathroom duty for a month,”

XXX

                Days passed by, Sicarius avoiding Rocinante the entire time. Sicarius didn’t even join everyone when they ate meals. Instead, he took his plate of food to the crow’s nest. Sometimes Dante joined him but most of the time Sicarius dined alone. At night, Rocinante still slept in Sky’s room. No one wanted to take another chance of Sicarius attacking Rocinante.

Rocinante was still nervous around the crew, but was starting to get used to them. He always stayed near Dante or Sky. Ever since the attempt on his life, Rocinante had been terrified of Sicarius. He thought that Sicarius would try to kill him again.

                One afternoon, there was a raging storm. The crew worked on furling the sails and getting everything on the deck inside as the ship swayed violently. Waves crashed into the sides of the Dragon’s Roar, splashing onto the deck. One wave hit the two youngest members, dragging Rocinante and Sicarius into the sea. The crew screamed their names and tried to reach them. Both boys were no match against the storm.

XXX

Rocinante awoke to a warm heat shining on his cold, wet skin. One of the halves of his face was lying against grains of sand. He could feel the salty waves of the sea lapping against the beach, but never going farther than his knees. His whole body was in pain. The pain only worsened as he moved into a sitting position, wiping the sand from his face. “Where am I?” He had expected an answer from one of the Draco Pirates, but ended up receiving nothing but the sounds of the crashing waves and sea breezes

                _‘Am I…alone?’_ Fear began to rise within him as he quickly scrambled up, falling a few times before managing to get himself upright. He scanned the shore and caught sight of a figure lying in the sand, a couple feet away from where he had awaken. He rushed over as quickly as he could through all his stumbles. Once he recognized who it was, he hesitated. _‘S-Sicarius-san!?’_

                The sand around Sicarius’ head had spots of red. Rocinante carefully turned Sicarius onto his back and he grew worried at the sight of a cut along the raven-haired boy’s forehead. The bleeding wasn’t too serious as when the wound was probably first inflicted, but it wasn’t fully clotted.

                “Help!” Rocinante called. “Sicarius-san is hurt!” There was silence. “Dante-san? Sky-san?” He still didn’t receive a response. “Zane-san?” He didn’t see the Dragon’s Roar anywhere. “Fang-san?” _‘No one else is here. We must’ve gotten separated. Sicarius-san is hurt…I know that he doesn’t like me but he’s still part of the Draco Pirates,’_ He looked down to his shirt and tore a strip. _‘Whenever I got hurt, Mother and Father would put a band aid. I don’t have any band aids and this is all I have,’_ He squeezed as much salt water and dusted as much sand as he could before carefully wrapping the fabric around Sicarius’ head.

_‘I hope the others find us soon…’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you do if two people don’t get along? Toss them onto a deserted island! It’s a great bonding exercise!


	5. Arc I Chapter V

                Rocinante sat beside Sicarius who still remained unconscious. He squinted his eyes as he looked up to the sun. _‘It’s too hot here and the waves are starting to get closer. Sicarius-san might be pulled back to the sea,’_ He looked in the opposite direction of the ocean. _‘There’s shade near the trees but how will I get Sicarius-san there?’_ He tried to pull Sicarius towards the start of the forest but he barely budged. _‘This is going to take a while,’_

                After about ten minutes, Rocinante had finally gotten Sicarius off the sand and onto the forest floor. It was at that moment that Sicarius regained consciousness. “Ugh…” He groaned as he sat up. “Sky, my head hurts!” He whined loudly, trying to get the attention of the blue haired girl.

                “Sky-san isn’t here…”

                Sicarius’ eyes snapped to the younger boy. _“You,”_ He spat coldly. “Of all the people I’m stuck with, it had to be _you,_ ”

                “Sorry…” Rocinante apologized.

                “Where the hell are we?” Sicarius winced, putting a hand to his head. He was confused when instead of skin, he felt fabric.

                “Y-You were bleeding s-so I tied a piece of cloth,” Rocinante stuttered, still afraid of Sicarius.

                Sicarius’ eyes narrowed when he caught sight of the torn end of Rocinante’s shirt. “Dumbass, you’re still wearing my shirt,”

                “S-Sorry!” Rocinante backed away, fearing that Sicarius would attack him again. “I-I’ll get you a new one when we get back!”

                “With what money?” Sicarius pointed out. _‘I should just kill him right now and blame his death on the storm!’_

                “I…” Rocinante didn’t know how to answer that. He was broke, not a single beri with him when he had joined the Draco Pirates. “I’ll ask Dante-san for some…”

                “Useless brat,” Sicarius stood up and started to walk away. Rocinante was about to follow him, but Sicarius glared at him. “ _Don’t_ follow me or I’ll kill you myself,”

                Rocinante quickly nodded in understand, watching as Sicarius disappeared from sight. He curled up under the tree and looked out to the ocean. _‘Everyone…please hurry…’_

XXX

                Besides his clothes, Sicarius had one of his knives. It was a small knife but still quite sharp. _‘It’s too small to hunt with,’_ Sicarius noted. _‘There has to be freshwater nearby, maybe a river or stream? Surely there’ll be animals there,’_

                Sicarius found a fallen branch. _‘This will do,’_ Using his knife, he began to trim the bark and sharpen one end to a point. _‘I have the basic shape of a spear but now I need to dry it out. I need to start a fire,’_ His head began to hurt but he ignored it. He quickly gathered materials needed to start his fire. Once the fire started burning, he baked the tip of his spear, removing all the moisture.

                A few hours later, he located a small stream. Small fish swam around in the gently current. Raising his spear, he quickly thrust it into the water. It struck a fatal blow to one fish while the others fled the scene. Sicarius smirked and took the fish, tossing it beside him and began to wait for more fish to pass by. Once he had three fishes, he started to feel dizzy. He fell forward, his face hitting the water as he lost conscious.

XXX

                Rocinante had grown thirsty and located the same stream Sicarius was at. Not wanting to incur the older boy’s wrath, Rocinante watched from afar as Sicarius spearfished. He was caught off guard when Sicarius collapsed. Rushing to him, Rocinante pulled his crewmate out of the stream before he could drown. “Sicarius-san!”

                _‘What’s going on!? What’s wrong with Sicarius-san!?’_ Rocinante thought as he removed the soaked makeshift bandage from Sicarius’ forehead.

                The injury looked way worse than before. There seemed to be some swelling as well as yellowish-green pus. There was redness around the wound. Rocinante hesitantly put a hand to the skin that wasn’t injured and pulled his hand back. It was hotter than usual. Sicarius also had a faint blush across his cheeks.

                _‘Sicarius-san has a fever and I think his wound’s infected!’_ Rocinante panicked. “Someone! Please help!” But the two were all alone on the island. The Draco Pirates couldn’t help them. “I’m useless…” Rocinante began to tear up. “I can’t do anything!” _‘I couldn’t help Mother when she was sick! I could stop Doffy when he kill Father! I can’t just leave Sicarius-san like this! I have to do something but…what can someone like me do?’_

                Sicarius shifted and groaned a bit but didn’t wake up.

                Rocinante wiped the tears away. _‘I’m always the one that needs help. I’m always the one getting hurt due to my clumsiness. Now someone else needs help and I’m the only one around. I-I’m not a doctor so I don’t know much about how to help Sicarius-san. I should clean the wound as best as I can,’_

                Rocinante tore another strip of his shirt to be the replacement bandage and a smaller piece to help clean the wound. He dipped the smaller patch of fabric into the stream and dabbed it at the cut on Sicarius’ forehead. He then wrapped the makeshift bandage around Sicarius’ wound.

 _‘What else can I do to help?’_ Rocinante’s stomach let out a sound of hunger. His attention turned to the three fish that Sicarius had managed to spear before fainting. He shook his head at the thought of eating them. _‘Sicarius-san caught them so I can’t eat them. He’ll just get mad at me and hate me even more,’_

XXX

                _‘Damn it…I fainted and fell into the stream…’_ Sicarius finally regained conscious. _‘Am I dead now? I must’ve drowned,’_ When he opened his eyes, he saw a darkened sky with white specks. “The night sky? So I’m not dead after all,” He smelled smoke nearby and glanced to the side. _‘A fire? Who started it?’_

                Sitting up, Sicarius saw Rocinante laying on his side, a few feet away from the fire. His hands looked like they had been rubbed raw and he was covered in scratches, part of his clothing torn. There were some berries beside him near his hand, but Sicarius caught sight of spots of crimson near the younger boy’s mouth.

                Sicarius stared at the berries. He had passed bushes of them a couple times but didn’t dare to eat them, knowing that they were unsafe. His eyes widened as he pieced two and two together. “You dumbass! They’re daykey berries!” When he attempted to stand, he collapsed to his knees. He resorted to crawling to get to Rocinante’s side. “How many did you eat!?”

                Rocinante forced his eyes open, even if it was just a little bit. His vision was blurry as he weakly looked up to Sicarius. “One…”

                “You’re lucky because if you ate three, you’d be dead already,” Sicarius then stopped in his tracks. _‘Why the hell am I giving a shit about his life? I could easily have him eat two more and then it’ll be one less Celestial Shithead in this world!’_ “Why didn’t you just catch some fish instead of eating random berries?”

                “Tried…” Rocinante rasped.

                Sicarius noticed that the fish he had caught earlier were each on a stick a bit too far away from the fire to be actually roasting but still close enough for the smoke to keep most of the insects away. “You didn’t eat the fish I caught,”

                “You’d…hate me…more…”

                _‘This brat could’ve stolen them while I was out but didn’t,’_ Sicarius thought. _‘His hands were also rubbed raw from trying to start the fire,’_ He moved a hand to his chest and clenched his shirt. _‘I trusted Dante. Can I trust this kid too?’_ “Drink some water kid,”

                “Huh?”

                “It’s the best we can do right now to deal with the berries’ toxin,” Sicarius said. “We don’t have any medicines and neither of us can move too much in our current conditions,” _‘The others gave him a chance. I should at least try too,’_ “Let’s also wrap your hands up,” He tore two pieces of his own shirt and wrapped them around Rocinante’s palms.

XXX

                The two of them had roasted the three fish over the fire but after Rocinante had somehow caught fire himself, Sicarius was the only one cooking. Sicarius gave one to Rocinante and they both ate in silence. The only sounds were the wind blowing and the fire crackling. There was the occasional sounds of small creatures skittering about, but none of the ones nearby seemed to belong to any big predators that posed a threat to them.

“Is it true that your family left Mariejois willingly?”

                Rocinante jumped a bit, startled at the sudden conversation. “Y-Yeah,”

                “Why?”

                Rocinante didn’t answer immediately. He tried to recall his father’s words when they first left the Holy Land. “Our parents…they believed that we were humans too. They wanted us to live amongst them. Father claimed that humans were wonderful…” He curled his knees to his chest and rested his head on his arms. “But the villagers all hated us because of what the other Celestial Dragons did…”

                “Our?” Sicarius questioned. “Wasn’t it just you and your parents?”

                “My older brother…” Rocinante spat those three words as if they were venom.

                Sicarius was surprised at the change in tone. The entire time Rocinante had been around, he had always been shy and scared. He hadn’t thought that the boy had a single ounce of hatred and only had fear.

                “He was the one who killed and beheaded Father! If it wasn’t for him, Father would’ve still been alive!”

                _‘His own brother did that? Now that’s cruel,’_ Sicarius silently sighed and patted Rocinante’s back. “There…there…” _‘Ugh, this is so awkward! This is why I don’t comfort anyone,’_ “So, uh…do you want to hear my backstory? Since you already told me yours, it’d be only fair if I told mine,”

                “Sure…” Rocinante nodded.

                “My country couldn’t pay the Heavenly Tribute and that pissed off the Celestial Dragons,” Sicarius said. “I was the only survivor after the Buster Call. They made me a…” Sicarius couldn’t say the word ‘slave’ and lifted his shirt to reveal the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon.

                “That’s why you hate Celestial Dragons…” Rocinante whispered. “But how did you escape?”

                Sicarius hesitated to speak further but did so anyway. “The Celestial Dragons that owned me were Dante’s parents,”

                “Dante’s a Celestial Dragon!?” Rocinante exclaimed. “But wait, why is he a pirate then? Nobody said anything about Celestial Dragons leaving Mariejois except when talking about my family,”

                “Dante said that your father taught him that he was human,” Sicarius continued. “When his parents weren’t around, he treated the slaves nicely. One day, the ship we were on got caught in a storm and we were shipwrecked on an island. Dante and I were the only survivors. We were welcomed in the village and Dante changed his appearance to avoid being recognized. We lived in an orphanage for a bit until we decided to leave and form a pirate crew,”

                “So that’s why Dante helped me,” Rocinante realized. “We both don’t care about our Celestial Dragon heritage,”

                “Even if you weren’t a Celestial Dragon and just a random child being persecuted, he still would’ve rescued you,” Sicarius told him. “Let’s just get some rest for now. I’m sure the crew will find us soon,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that’s the backstory of Dante and Sicarius. I originally planned on having their past be its own story called The Devil of the Gods but I decided to just shorten it and put it into Fallen Dragons. By the way, Dante’s parents died in the shipwreck.


	6. Arc I Chapter VI

                They were stranded on the island for a total of three days. When the Draco Pirates had located them, they immediately rushed to their location. Sky examined the two boys and gave them medicine. A few days later, they were back to full health. The Draco Pirates had noticed a change in atmosphere. Sicarius no longer avoided Rocinante nor did he show any malice or aggression towards him.

                Dante decided that Rocinante was ready to start training. “With Fang, you’ll learn close combat skills,” Dante told him. “With Zane you’ll study weapons. Sky will teach you about doctor and cooking stuff,”

                Rocinante’s first lesson was with Fang. “Dodge all of my hits,” Fang ordered before starting to attack without warning.

                Rocinante couldn’t dodge any of it. Fang aimed for his face. When Rocinante blocked his face, Fang aimed for the stomach. Rocinante moved backwards in an effort to distance himself but Fang just moved forward. Rocinante lost his footing and slipped, his foot kicking Fang’s knee.

                “Not a bad hit,” Fang commented. “But you need to work on your balance and adding more power to it. Also, you’re _awful_ at dodging!”

                Sky was walking pass their training room and gasped. “Fang! You’re not supposed to be too rough with him! You’re part Tiger Shark Fishman and he’s a fully human _child_!” She rushed to Rocinante’s side. “Let’s head to the med bay,” As they left, she glared at Fang.

                _‘I need to get stronger!’_ Rocinante thought, glancing to his wounds. _‘I won’t be able to protect the people I care about in this state,’_ He thought back to how he could do nothing but cry and beg for his brother to not kill their father. _‘I don’t want to be weak anymore…’_ His whole body was hurting but he didn’t want to cry.

                Sky examined all of Rocinante’s injuries. “You have a couple bruises but the worst wound you have is a fractured rib. I want you to take things easy for a couple weeks,” She reached into her mini freezer and took out an ice pack, passing it to the boy. “Apply this to your ribs. I’ll determine how much painkillers to prescribe you. How old are you again?”

                “Eight,” Rocinante answered, putting the ice pack to his rib. He jumped at the sudden cold feeling.

                “Can you swallow pills?” Sky inquired.

                “N-No,” Rocinante mumbled.

                “Take a teaspoon of this every morning and before you go to sleep,” Sky passed a small bottle of liquid painkiller to Rocinante. “If the pain is still severe, tell me,”

                “Okay,” Rocinante nodded.

                “I’ll make sure Fang doesn’t overdo it when he’s teaching you,” Sky added. “He sometimes forgets that he’s stronger than the average human since he’s a quarter Tiger Shark Fishman,”

                “Fishman?” Rocinante asked. _‘Back in Mariejois, the other Celestial Dragons said that Fishmen were freaks and abominations and that they were inferior. But Fang-san is part of the Draco Pirates and they’re all nice people,’_

                Noticing the look on Rocinante’s face, Sky knew what he was thinking. “Not all Fishmen are bad. They’re like humans: there are the good ones and the bad ones. You can’t classify an entire species as good or bad when each member of that species is their own individual person with their own personality and beliefs,”

XXX

                Four years passed. At twelve years old, Rocinante was already as tall as a teenager. Due to his daily training, he also had an extremely fit body. Whenever he went to town, some people flirted with him. Having no experience in the sexual aspect of life, Rocinante was confused at their behavior. The rest of the Draco Pirates had begun to notice the way people were acting towards their youngest member and declared an emergency meeting.

                “Those people disgust me!” Dante said. “They’re trying to bed Rocinante!”

                “What do you mean?” Rocinante asked. “They’re not trying to tuck me into bed,”

                “They want to have sex with you,” Zane informed.

                “What’s sex?”

                That’s when the entire Draco Pirates crew realized that in the years they have been raising him, they had never taught the boy sex-ed. None of them could bring their selves to teach the subject. Sicarius had learned about it from erotic books he had accidentally bought from a bookstore. When he tried to teach Rocinante, the younger boy still didn’t understand what was happening in the books. They decided to just not explain it to him.

                Rocinante was no longer allowed to go to town by himself. Sicarius accompanied him most of the time. One day, they were buying some apples when the stall owner began to flirt with Rocinante. “Hey there handsome,”

                “Not interested,” Sicarius responded.

                “I’m not talking to you,” The woman sneered. “I’m talking to your older brother,”

                Sicarius glared daggers at her. “My _younger_ brother is _twelve_!”

                “There’s no way a hottie like him is only twelve years old!” The woman argued.

                “Sicarius, what’s a hottie?” Rocinante asked, carrying a bag of fruit he had picked out.

                “You’re a hottie,” The woman said.

                “But I’m not hot,” Rocinante innocently told her. “I’m actually feeling chilly,”

                The woman was shocked at Rocinante’s ignorance. “H-How old are you?”

                “I’m twelve,” He answered.

                Sicarius’ glare hadn’t faltered. He passed some beri to the woman to pay for the apples. “I told you that he’s twelve. So leave my little brother alone,” He then left with Rocinante, leaving the stall keeper shocked.

                “Back there, you called me your brother,” Rocinante said.

                “Yeah,” Sicarius nodded. “The whole crew is like a family of brothers and sisters. Do you not want me to call you brother?’

                “No, it’s fine,” Rocinante smiled. “I’m just so happy that you consider me your brother! I still remember when I first joined you tried to kill me,” _‘The crew is full of people who are better siblings than Doflamingo! These people are my true family!’_ He reached into the bag and took a bite of an apple. A foul tasted filled his mouth. He was about to spit it out when he tripped and fell backwards, causing himself to swallow the piece. “Yuck! That was gross!”

                Sicarius was staring at Rocinante with a shocked expression. “The apple you just ate had swirls on it!”

                “It also tasted awful!” Rocinante commented. “Was that woman selling rotten fruits? Should we get rid of the rest?”

                “Rocinante, you just ate a Devil Fruit!”


	7. Arc I Chapter VII

                “A Devil Fruit?” Rocinante blinked. “How could you tell? Isn’t it just a rotten apple?”

                “All Devil Fruits have swirls on them and taste awful!” Sicarius told him. “Now you won’t be able to swim! You’ll just sink like a hammer!”

                “B-But I _need_ to be able to swim!” Rocinante exclaimed. “The deck is always slippery and I always end up falling overboard!”

                “The deck was completely dry and you’re just clumsy,” Sicarius sighed. “At least we’re used to you falling overboard and can save you. Come on, let’s go inform the others,”

                It took only a few minutes to reach the docks. The others had all returned from town. Dante noticed the remains of the now grey apple in Rocinante’s hand. “What Devil Fruit did you eat?”

                “I don’t know,” Rocinante shrugged.

                “Since Rocinante-san has a habit of falling overboard and has now eaten a Devil Fruit, he must now always wear a life vest,” Zane said.

                “Anyway, let’s put away all of the things we bought,” Sky suggested as she boarded the Dragon’s Roar. “Some of the foods I bought need to be refrigerated,”

                Everyone followed Sky onto the ship. Rocinante tripped and fell off the boarding plank. On instinct his hand shot out in an attempt to reach something to grip on. A bright red ribbon shot out from his palms and tied around the railing of the Dragon’s Roar, stopping Rocinante from reaching the sea.

                “That is the Ribbon-Ribbon Fruit,” Zane identified. “It allows the user to create ribbons that may be used as restraints or for attacks,”

                Rocinante’s eyes were focused on the ribbon. It was very thin, almost like thread. The color was the same shade as blood. Rocinante remembered how Doflamingo had cut off their father’s head: he had used his String-String Fruit. The strings had dug into Homing’s flesh and had sliced through the bone. It hadn’t been a clean cut and took multiple attempts to finally decapitate the corpse.

                “Roci, you alright?” Fang called.

                Rocinante didn’t want to see the ribbon. It resembled too much like Doflamingo’s strings. He closed his eyes and tried to make the ribbon disappeared. It worked and the ribbon separated from his palm and disintegrated, leaving Rocinante to fall into the sea.

                “Roci!” Sicarius was about to dive into the ocean when Fang beat him to it.

                Underwater, Fang was a faster swimmer than the average human. He reached the twelve year old before he had sunk too deep and brought him to the surface. Rocinante coughed up water and took deep breaths of air. “Thanks Fang…”

                “You seemed frozen for a moment,” Sicarius said as Fang dragged Rocinante to the deck.

                “I-I don’t want this Devil Fruit!” Rocinante told them. “I want to get rid of it!”

                “The only way to get rid of your Devil Fruit is to die,” Dante informed.

                “There’s got to be another way!” Rocinante begged. “I don’t want it! Take it away from me!”

                “Roci, why are you acting like this?” Dante asked. “What’s wrong?”

                “This Devil Fruit is too much like _his_!” Rocinante shouted. “I don’t want it!”

                Dante sighed. “You can’t get rid of your Ribbon-Ribbon Fruit no matter how hard you try, but you can nullify it with seastone. Zane, can you fashion seastone handcuffs into a bracelet for Roci to wear?”

                “Yes,” Zane nodded. “I shall go work on it right away,”

                “Roci, it’s going to be alright,” Sky knelt down beside Rocinante who had curled into a fetal position.

                “The Ribbon-Ribbon Fruit is too much like Doflamingo’s fruit!” Rocinante said, tears streaming down. “He used his strings to cut off Father’s head!”

                _‘So that’s why he hates his Devil Fruit and claimed to not have a brother,’_ Dante realized. _‘His brother was the one to decapitate Homing-san,’_

XXX

                A year passed. Every now and then, they would offer to teach Rocinante how to control his Devil Fruit, but Rocinante was quick to refuse every time. He wanted nothing to do with his Devil Fruit, even if it meant wearing a seastone bracelet the entire time. He would act as if everything was normal and nothing had changed. Whenever he fell overboard and had to be rescued, he would try not to panic but everyone could tell that he wasn’t calm. Not being able to swim was a reminder that he had eaten the Ribbon-Ribbon Fruit.

                “I’m fed up with all of this already!” Sicarius blurted out during dinner. “Rocinante, it’s been an entire ****ing year already! Just use the damn Devil Fruit! Stop wasting it!”

                “I can’t!” Rocinante shouted.

                “You _can_!” Sicarius snapped. “I’ve known people that would’ve used the Ribbon-Ribbon Fruit to make their life easier! I’ve known people that might’ve _lived_ if they had that Devil Fruit power at the time!”

                “You don’t understand!” Rocinante yelled back. “Every time I see the ribbons, they remind me of my bro—of Doflamingo cutting off my Father’s head with his strings! I can’t use it!”

                “You _can_ ,” Sicarius repeated. “You’re just too afraid to use it,”

                “Sicarius, that’s enough,” Sky said.

                “No, you need to stop babying him!” Sicarius told her. “Rocinante, why are you afraid of your power?”

                “I-I’m not afraid! It’s just…” Rocinante grew silent.

                “You mentioned that this Doflamingo person cut off your father’s head with strings?” Zane interrupted. “Are you afraid that you might become like Doflamingo and hurt people?”

                Rocinante nodded. “He wasn’t always like that. He had hated Father but never tried to kill him. It was only after he ate the Devil Fruit that he actually did act,”

                “You’re not Doflamingo, Rocinante,” Dante spoke up. “You’re you, your own person. You have your own personality and your own experiences. You have your own likes and your own dislikes. Your Devil Fruits are different. His is strings and yours is ribbons,” He put a hand to Rocinante’s head as he casually continued to eat his pasta. “The Ribbon-Ribbon Fruit is your own Devil Fruit, your own power,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to have Rocinante to struggle to accept his Devil Fruit due to the Ribbon-Ribbon Fruit’s resemblance to the String-String Fruit. The ribbons’ size can change. The larger the ribbon, the more energy it takes to create it.   
> The creator of the Ribbon-Ribbon Fruit is CF8WRK4U.


	8. Arc I Chapter VIII

                _‘My own power,’_ Rocinante laid awake in bed, staring at the seastone bracelet that he had never taken off for an entire year. _‘I don’t want to be weak anymore. Most Devil Fruits are useful. Can I become stronger with the Ribbon-Ribbon Fruit?’_ He put a hand on the bracelet. _‘I chose a different path from Doflamingo already. If I use this Devil Fruit, can I continue the path of good? Will I change and turn on my family?’_ He removed the bracelet but didn’t activate his Devil Fruit.

                There was the faint sound of a thud against the Dragon’s Roar. Curious and deciding that he could use the fresh air, Rocinante went to the deck where Sicarius, who was on night watch, was. “What was that?” Rocinante asked.

                “I don’t see any pirates or Marines,” Sicarius turned on his flashlight and scanned the deck. “Whatever made that sound is not on the ship,”

                Thud. Thud. Thud.

                “It’s coming from the side of the ship,” Rocinante motioned for Sicarius to shine the flashlight towards the water. “There’s a dinghy hitting the Dragon’s Roar. I’ll go down to see if someone needs help,”

                “Oh no you don’t,” Sicarius grabbed Rocinante’s shoulder. “You’ll probably end up falling into the sea and I don’t need you drowning. Hold the flashlight so that I can see where the boat is,”

                “That only happened a few times,” Rocinante mumbled as he did as he was told.

                Tying a rope to the railing of the Dragon’s Roar, Sicarius rappelled down to the dinghy. A metallic scent hit his nostrils and he noticed that he was stepping in a small puddle. “Blood!?” He noticed a bundle moving a bit under the seats. Whimpering noises followed and Sicarius knelt down to pick up the bundle. “A baby!?” The baby squirmed in Sicarius’ arms, trying to get away. Sicarius kept holding him and started to climb the rope. The baby continued to thrash around, causing Sicarius to lose his grip. “Shit!”

                Rocinante reached out as if he thought he could grab the baby in his current position. _‘Come on Devil Fruit! If I can save lives instead of killing like Doflamingo, help me save this child!’_ A wide ribbon shot out from his hand and wrapped around the baby, causing the infant to cry out. _‘Too tight! Loosen! Loosen!’_ His ribbon slackened a bit as he slowly retracted the ribbon to pull the boy up. He slipped on the deck’s floorboard, causing the baby to be sent flying into the air. Luckily he landed on Rocinante’s chest.

                “UWAH!” The baby cried, the sudden movements having startled him.

                “What’s with all the noise?” Dante yawned as he and the rest of the crew joined the three on the deck.

                “There, there,” Rocinante was desperately trying to get the baby stop crying and rocked him back and forth. The baby sniffled and quieted down.

                “Congratulations Rocinante,” Zane said.

                “Why are you congratulating me?” Rocinante asked with a confused look.

                “You are a father now,” Zane replied.

                “No I’m not,” Rocinante denied. “Sicarius and I just found this baby in that dinghy below—why is there blood on this child!?”

                “There’s also blood in the boat he was in,” Sicarius added. “I think his family is dead, though there aren’t any bodies,”

                Rocinante began to get dizzy. _‘Why am I so exhausted?’_ He started to sway and lost his footing. Dante caught him and the infant before Rocinante lost conscious.

XXX

                “What happened?” Rocinante asked groggily as he woke up in the med bay.

                “You suddenly collapsed due to exhaustion,” Sky informed. “Sicarius said that you used your Ribbon-Ribbon Fruit. Your body is probably not used to it so you used up a lot of energy when you activated it,”

                “Where’s the baby?” Rocinante then noticed someone clinging to his shirt.

                “He wouldn’t let go of you,” Sky smiled. “Congratulations on your new son,”

                “I’m thirteen!” Rocinante pointed out. “I can’t take care of a baby!”

                “Tell that to him and then ditch him at an orphanage,” Sky suggested.

                Rocinante looked down to the baby who had the saddest kicked puppy eyes. _‘Here goes nothing,’_ “Kid, I—” The baby buried his face against Rocinante’s chest. “I’m…going to…” He looked towards Sky. “Where’s the nearest orphanage?”

                “Just so you know, the orphanage on this closest island is awful,” Sky claimed. “Literally, there are groups of orphans having to steal or they would starve. Do you think anyone would have time to deal with a baby? They’d just leave him for dead!”

                “But that still doesn’t change the fact that I’m _thirteen_ ,” Rocinante reminded.

                “Hey, hey, don’t think that you’re in on this alone,” Sky told him. “You’re still the little brother of the crew. That means that the boy’s our nephew now. Of course we’ll help you raise him,”

                “I still don’t understand why _I_ have to be his father and not the captain,” Rocinante mumbled.

                “The baby’s known you for less than a day and he’s already attached to you,” Sky said.

XXX

                Rocinante was sparring with Sicarius. He attempted to wrap his ribbons around the seventeen year old only for Sicarius to grab the ribbon and pull, causing Rocinante to lurch forward. Sicarius delivered a swift kick to the abdomen. Rocinante winced but grabbed Sicarius’ leg and forcefully spun him, causing the older teen to lose his balance. This allowed and opening for Rocinante to maneuver his ribbons around Sicarius’ neck, bringing his head forward to make contact with Rocinante’s knee.

                “You’re improving quite well Roci,” Dante commented as he and sky brought bags of baby supplies onto the ship. They had brought the baby with them so they knew which sizes of clothes to get him. It took a while to separate him from Rocinante, but a plushy polar bear immediately swayed him. “By the way, we named the boy Law,”

                “Law?” Fang snickered. “That’s ironic since his family is a pirate crew,”

                “Someone asked us what his name was and I was thinking of the day we found him, October 6,” Dante said. “The first syllable of six (roku) is ro so I ended up saying that his name was Law,”

                “You could’ve at least made his name believably like Lawrence,” Sky sighed.

                “There’s someone that literally goes by Crocodile,” Dante pointed out. “When Law is older and someone tries to tell him what to do, he can say something like ‘I don’t follow the law. I _am_ the law’,”

                Rocinante took Law from Dante and Sky. “Do you like your new name?”

                Law giggled and clapped his hands.

                “Then it’s settled. His name is Donquixote Law,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that’s the end of Arc I. Rocinante isn’t a master at the Ribbon-Ribbon Fruit yet, but he’ll have improved a lot by the start of Arc II.


	9. Arc II Chapter I

**Dante: 25 years old**  
**Sky: 24 years old**  
 **Sicarius: 19 years old**  
 **Zane: 38 years old**  
 **Fang: 30 years old**  
 **Rocinante: 15 years old**  
 **Law: 2 years old**  
 **Doflamingo: 17 years old**

                “So this is Loguetown,” Dante said as they docked. They had hidden their Jolly Roger to avoid the Marines. Since they weren’t well known, nobody would immediately recognize them and it was easier to blend into the crowd. Standing out would make leaving Loguetown more of a hassle than it already was with the other pirate crews gathering.

                “I’m going to take Law to get some new clothes,” Rocinante told them. “It’s better to go right now since the shops will be closed during the Pirate King’s execution,”

                “Daddy,” Law whined in his father’s arms. “I walk! I two years old!”

                “I can’t believe you’re already two!” Rocinante exclaimed, refusing to let go of Law. “I won’t let you go. No matter how old you are, you’ll always be my baby boy!”

                Law buried his face into his polar bear toy and mumbled, “You always be my daddy,”

                Rocinante grinned and spun Law around. “I love you so much Law!”

XXX

                Law stared with starry eyes. The hat was white with black spots, but the most important attribute was that it was very soft and fluffy. “Daddy, I want! It’s fluffy like Bepo!”

                “It’s a bit too big for you right now,” Rocinante smiled and placed it into the shopping basket. “I’ll buy you the hat but we still need to pick out your other clothes,”

                Rocinante continued to look through the children’s section of clothes. Law’s eyes were drawn to anything fluffy and soft. He wandered a bit away from Rocinante’s sight and got lost in the aisles of clothing. Law clutched Bepo as he looked around for his father. “Daddy?” He ended up bumping into someone’s legs.

                “Fufufu, who do we have here?”

                Law looked up to see a tall male with spiky blonde hair, and sunglasses. Law’s eyes were glued to the pink feathered coat. “Ooh, fluffy!” He reached out to touch it.

                “Who is this child-zamasu?” A woman with dual hair color asked, picking Law up.

                Law squirmed around in the woman’s hold. “Lemme go!” He reached for the pink feathered coat again. “Fluffy! I want fluffy!”

                The blonde took the baby from his crewmate. “Usually most kids are told to not interact with strangers,”

                “You have fluffy coat,” Law pointed out. “Fluffy like Bepo!” He held out his polar bear plushy.

                “That polar bear is too plain-zamasu! Let me help you decorate it. It’ll be a real work of art,” The woman exclaimed, snatching the bear from the toddler. Using her Devil Fruit, she added splotches of different colors to Bepo.

                Law teared up at the sight of his polar bear changing. “UWAH! DADDY! MEANIE HURT BEPO!”

                Almost immediately Rocinante appeared, attempting to deliver a punch to the man who held Law. The man dodged and moved back a bit, not having expected someone to appear so suddenly and quickly. “Let go of my son!” Ribbons appeared from his hand and he flung it towards Law, gently wrapping around the baby before pulling him towards him. “Law, are you alright?”

                “B-B-Bepo!” Law sobbed.

                Rocinante glared at the woman holding the polar bear toy. “Give Bepo back,” He compacted his ribbons into the form of a sword. He felt strings wrap around his limbs, preventing him from moving. _‘Strings!? Is this is the String-String Fruit!?’_ He turned his head slightly to glance at the man. _‘Is he Doflamingo!?’_

                “Rocinante stand down!” Dante rushed in front of his nakama.

                “Tell that bitch to give back Bepo!” Rocinante snapped.

                “Bitch!?” The woman exclaimed. “How dare you!?”

                “I suggest giving the bear back unless you want to attract the attention of the Marines before the Pirate King’s execution even starts,” Dante advised. _‘It’s a good thing I noticed the Donquixote Pirates’ ship in the distance and decided to tag along Rocinante and Law,’_

                “Jora, give the bear back,” Doflamingo ordered. _‘As much as I hate being told what to do, that guy does have a point. There are too many Marines around,’_

                “B-Bepo!” Law sobbed. “Daddy, Bepo hurt!”

                “It’s okay Law,” Rocinante said softly. “We’ll give Bepo a bath back at the ship and he’ll be all better. It’s only paint,”

                “Let’s go pay for the clothes you already picked out for Law,” Dante suggested, although it was more of an order.

                Doflamingo watched as the three headed to the register. _‘The orange haired man called him Rocinante. He has the same blonde hair and blue eyes as Rocinante’s, but it can’t be. Rocinante’s eyes never held such hate and anger as that man’s, especially if those emotions were directed towards_ me _. Besides, Rocinante is dead. He was gone when I returned from Mariejois and there’s no way he could’ve survived on his own,’_ He shook his head. _‘That person just shares similarities in appearance and name. My little brother died seven years ago,’_

XXX

                Rocinante and Law stayed on the Dragon’s Roar while the rest of the crew went to watch the execution. He attempted to wash the polar bear plushy with soap and water, but it had little to no effect. Law continued to cry from his spot beside him. _‘If it’s from a Devil Fruit, then seawater will help undo it,’_ He took a bucket attached to a rope and tossed it into the sea before pulling it up, nearly falling into the ocean in the process. Bepo was back to normal in no time.

                “Yay!” Law hugged the soaking wet bear. “Bepo okay!”

                “Law, he’s still wet,” Rocinante sweat-dropped. “You’re getting your clothes wet too,”

                Law began to look around and walked over to the bags of new clothes. “Daddy, where other fluffy?”

                “Other fluffy?” Rocinante stared at him for a moment before realizing what Law meant. “You mean the fluffy hat, right?” He began to sift through the bags. “That’s weird, it’s not here,”

                “No other fluffy?” Law asked.

                “It must have fallen during that confrontation,” Rocinante said. “I’m sorry Law. I can try buying it after the execution but I’m not sure how chaotic it will be in Loguetown,” He felt a raindrop hit his nose. “It looks like it’s starting to rain now. Let’s get you inside,”

                “No other fluffy?” Law repeated.

                “I’m sorry Law,” Rocinante apologized. “I don’t have your hat,”

                Law pointed behind Rocinante. “Other fluffy!”

                Rocinante looked towards the direction Law pointed at and was surprised to see the fluffy hat flying towards them. Rocinante caught it and looked around for the owner. _‘That’s weird. Nobody’s around. Whose hat is this?’_

                “Other fluffy!” Law reached for it. “Daddy, Law’s other fluffy!”

                _‘Law really wants it and I don’t want to see him cry,’_ Rocinante thought. “Let’s wash the hat first, okay?”

                From the shadows of an alley that had both the view of the execution platform and the docks, Doflamingo watched the two head inside. He had noticed the hat on the floor earlier and was the one to toss it towards them. _‘Why am I helping them? Why did I bother with the hat? That man can’t be Rocinante but why do I have the urge to help him?’_ He turned away and moved to go to the El Flamenco. _‘Maybe it’s my subconscious wanting me to try to make myself feel better from leaving Rocinante alone back then. My subconscious is trying to fool me into thinking that person is Rocinante,’_

**Doflamingo was at the clothing store to buy the goggles he wore during the execution in _Strong World._ Jora was with him to offer her “artistic advice” to help Doflamingo choose the right goggles.**

**Doflamingo will encounter the Draco Pirates again in the future.**


	10. Arc II Chapter II

                When the Donquixote Pirates reunited with their captain on the El Flamenco, they noticed something was off about Doflamingo. For starters, he didn’t have his signature grin but had an expression that was as though he was deep in thought. He was also staring at another pirate ship in the distance as its crew boarded.

                “Doffy, is that crew bothering you?” Vergo asked. “I can kill them if you want,”

                “No,” Doflamingo refused. “I want all the information you can gather about them. I want to know who each member is, where they’re from, what their goals are, everything and anything about them,”

                The crew exchanged a look of confusion. Doflamingo was usually never like this. He was acting out of the ordinary. Regardless, they didn’t question him and did as they were told. There was little information they could find except for the bounty posters.

                “They’re the Draco Pirates. The captain is Dante with a bounty of eighty million berries,” Vergo reported, pointing to each of the bounty posters as he went through them. “The cook/doctor is Sky with a bounty of fifty million berries. The first mate is Sicarius with a bounty of forty million berries. ‘Man-Eater’ Fang has a bounty of ninety million berries. Zane has a bounty of thirty million berries,”

                Doflamingo frowned, unsatisfied at the findings. “What about the man with blonde hair and the baby? Who are they?”

                “They have no bounty poster since the blonde hasn’t done anything to draw attention to himself and avoided the Marines,” Diamante informed.

                “Ne, ne, why are you obsessed with the Draco Pirates?” Trebol asked. “It’s unlike you,”

                “I’m not obsessed!” Doflamingo snapped.

                “Trebol’s right,” Pica agreed. “You’ve only been focusing on that pirate crew instead of anything else,”

                Doflamingo began to grow angry with his crew. “Are you questioning your _king_?”

                “Of course not!” Diamante reasoned. “But Doffy, what’s so special about this one pirate crew?”

                Rather than answering, Doflamingo stood up and left the room, slamming the door as he entered the captain’s quarters. He made his way to his private bathroom and splashed water onto his face. _‘Why do I want to know about that crew? No, it’s not the crew that I’m interested in. I want to know more about that person who goes by the name Rocinante,’_

XXX

                Months had passed since Roger’s execution. The Draco Pirates had stopped by Sabaody Archipelago. Normally they would avoid places like this due to the lawless zones in Groves 1-29 and the fact that there was a Marine base in Groves 60-69, but it was July 15, Rocinante’s birthday. They decided to take the risk so that Rocinante could enjoy his birthday. Just in case, they made sure that they were ready to leave if trouble arose.

                “Are you sure it’s alright to stay here?” Rocinante asked, staring at the large amusement park.

                “If anyone bothers us, I’ll kick their ass,” Fang claimed. “Enjoy your birthday, Roci,”

                “Fang, don’t cause unnecessary trouble,” Sky warned. “There are Marines nearby. We need to keep a low profile,”

                “I won’t _start_ a fight,” Fang promised. “But I will _end_ a fight if I have to,”

                “The Donquixote Pirates are nearby. I saw them dock,” Dante said. “It seems like they were following us. Some contacts of mine even said that they were trying to dig up info about the crew,”

                Rocinante grew angry. “Why is he following us!?”

                “He did see you back in Loguetown,” Dante reminded. “Perhaps he knows that you’re his long lost little brother?”

                “He’s not my brother!” Rocinante snapped, causing Law to whimper at the sudden outburst. “Sorry Law. I didn’t mean to scare you,”

                “Is Daddy mad at Law?” Law asked. “Is Law bad?”

                “No, no,” Rocinante shook his head. “I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at someone else. You’re a good boy. I didn’t mean to scare you,” He hugged his son.

                “Should I go kill the Donquixote Pirates?” Fang offered.

                “You just said that you wouldn’t start a fight,” Sicarius pointed out.

                “They started the fight when they started bothering Roci,” Fang claimed.

                “It’s fine,” Rocinante said. “Let’s just have fun at this amusement park. Just avoid them as best as possible,”

XXX

                _‘After all these months, we finally found them,’_ Doflamingo thought as he saw the Dragon’s Roar at the docks. _‘Today is July 15. If they’re celebrating that man’s birthday…then he really is my brother. If not, then I’ve been a fool for chasing an unrelated pirate crew all this time,’_

                “Young Master, what are we doing here-iin?” Machvise asked.

                “We’re just here to relax and unwind,” Doflamingo claimed. “We’ve all been stressed out with the Marines on our tail lately. This is a much needed vacation,”

                “What about that pirate crew that you’ve been following?” Vergo inquired. “Are you going to confront them?”

                “It depends,” That was the only thing he said as he started to head towards Sabaody Amusement Park. _‘If he’s Rocinante, I’ll try to talk with him. If he’s not, I’ll either leave them alone or kill them for causing me all these headaches and confusion,’_

                Doflamingo wanted to use his strings to cling to the trees and clouds to get an aerial view, but he knew that it would draw attention to himself. He couldn’t risk it and had to search for the Draco Pirates by foot. He stopped in front of the entrance of the amusement park, catching sight of the Draco Pirates.

                “The Donquixote Pirates are nearby. I saw them dock,” The captain said. “It seems like they were following us. Some contacts of mine even said that they were trying to dig up info about the crew,”

                Doflamingo frowned. _‘I should’ve had the crew be more discreet. They might try to purposely avoid us now,’_

“Why is he following us!?”

                “He did see you back in Loguetown. Perhaps he knows that you’re his long lost little brother?”

Doflamingo froze. _‘Did I mishear? The captain called Rocinante my long lost little brother. That means that he really is Rocinante,_ my _Rocinante. But why is he with these people?’_

“He’s not my brother!”

                Doflamingo was now confused. _‘If this Rocinante is my little brother, why is he denying it? Why was his tone full of anger and hate? My little brother could never hate someone, especially if it’s me. He always followed me around and clung to me back when we were kids. Even when we were suffering, he didn’t hate those bastards. He only feared them,’_

“Sorry Law. I didn’t mean to scare you,”

                “Is Daddy mad at Law? Is Law bad?”

                “No, no. I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at someone else. You’re a good boy. I didn’t mean to scare you,”

 _‘Rocinante can’t be a father! He just turned sixteen! That kid looks around two years old meaning Rocinante would have had to…when he was around thirteen years old!’_ Veins bulged in Doflamingo’s forehead. _‘Those bastards! They’re manipulating him! They’re pretending that they actually do care about him but they actually made him into a slave!’_ He took out a Den-Den Mushi to call the rest of his crew. “We’re rescuing my little brother and nephew,”

**Doflamingo thinks that his innocent baby brother could never hate him. He also thinks that Law is Rocinante’s biological son.**


	11. Arc II Chapter III

                Rocinante was having a lot of fun but he only went on rides that Law could also go on. It may have been his birthday but there was no way he was leaving Law out of the fun. They played at the different booths and did their best to win prizes. He won most of the games easily unless he somehow lost his footing. Rocinante won a lot of stuffed animals for Law.

                “Daddy, let’s go there!” Law pointed at the largest attraction in the park, the Ferris wheel.

                “The line isn’t too long right now,” Dante said as he patted Sicarius’ back.

                “Is Sicarius alright?” Rocinante asked, noting the purple-haired male was a sickly green color.

                “I’m fi—” Sicarius vomited into the trashcan beside him.

                “While you guys were at the booths, he was riding the wildest roller coasters,” Dante explained.

                “Tch, he has a weak stomach,” Fang mocked.

                Sicarius glared at him. “You eat _people_!”

                “Not all the time,” Fang claimed. “Most of the time I scare them away,”

                “That doesn’t change the fact that you’ve actually eaten people before!”

                “Roci, you and Law can go by yourselves,” Sky suggested. “You both can enjoy the ride together,”

                “Are you sure?” Rocinante hesitated.

                “I need to make sure Sicarius stays hydrated,” Sky told him while Sicarius just gave a thumbs up.

                “I shall bring all of your prizes back to the ship,” Zane added.

                Dante took a bite from the cotton candy he stole from Sicarius. “Now go before the line gets longer,”

                Rocinante and Law stood in line for a few minutes. When it was their turn, Rocinante dug into his pockets for scrips and realized that he had used them all on the booths. “Sorry I—”

                “They’re with me,” Doflamingo had threatened the operator into letting him choose which cabin he got in.

                _‘It’s Doflamingo!’_ Rocinante narrowed his eyes as Doflamingo entered the cabin and was waiting for the other two to enter. _‘I don’t want to be alone with him but the line’s getting long again. Law really wants to ride the Ferris wheel…’_ Reluctantly, he and Law entered and sat down across of the older Donquixote. After everyone was loaded onto the other cabins, the ride started.

                “Fluffy!” Law reached for Doflamingo’s coat. “Look Daddy, it’s fluffy!”

                Doflamingo took off his coat and held it out to his nephew. “I can buy one for you if you want,”

                “Really?” Law’s eyes lit up at the offer.

                “What do you want?”

                Doflamingo turned to his brother. “The coat will be free. He’s my nephew after all,”

                “No he’s not!” Rocinante denied. “He’s not your nephew! He’s my son!”

                “You’re my little brother,” Doflamingo claimed.

                “We are not brothers!” Rocinante snapped.

                Doflamingo stared at him for a few seconds. “Do you have amnesia?”

                “I know perfectly well who you are, Donquixote Doflamingo!” Rocinante yelled. “And as I said before, we are _not_ brothers!”

                “Daddy, why are you yelling?” Law asked, releasing his hold on the pink coat and moving away from Doflamingo. “Is he being mean to you? Why are you being mean to my Daddy!? I don’t like you!”

                Doflamingo winced at those words. “That pirate crew kidnapped you, Rocinante. I’m here to rescue you. My strings can attach to clouds so we can escape once the cabin is at the top,”

                “Kidnapped me?” Rocinante grew angrier at the accusation. “They didn’t kidnap me! What the hell are you talking about!?”

                Doflamingo shook his head. “They’ve brainwashed you. They’re making you think that they actually care about you but they don’t. And not only that, but they also turned you into a sex slave!”

                “What the hell is sex!?”

                Doflamingo was shocked. _‘They forced him to father a child without even explaining procreation!?’_ “We need to leave now. I’ll bring you both to my ship and—”

                “We’re not going with you!” Rocinante refused.

                Doflamingo ignored his refusal and used his strings to cut the cabin door. He sent out a string to anchor itself to the nearest cloud and held a hand out to Rocinante and Law. “Grab my hand,”

                “We’re not going with you!” Rocinante repeated.

                _‘I hate to force them to do something but it’s the only way to get them to come with me,’_ Doflamingo thought, wrapping his strings around Rocinante and Law before picking them up and leaving the Ferris wheel.

                “Let us go!” Rocinante demanded. “Put us down!” _‘If I use my Devil Fruit to attack him, Law and I will both go crashing to the ground. I can’t risk his safety!’_ “Dante! Help!”

                “Daddy, I don’t feel so good,” Law was gaining a greenish tinge as they traversed through the sky.

                _‘My nephew is getting sick. I’ll travel by foot then,’_ Doflamingo gradually lowered their altitude until he was walking on solid land.

                Since they weren’t dozens of feet above ground now, Rocinante used his ribbons to force Doflamingo to release them. He compacted his ribbons into a sword and glanced around. _‘Where are the others!?’_

                “Don’t worry about your kidnappers trying to retrieve you,” Doflamingo said. “My crew is dealing with them,”

                That did it. Rocinante placed Law on the ground and charged towards Doflamingo. “I’LL KILL YOU!”

                That was another blow to Doflamingo’s heart but he kept telling himself that it was because Rocinante had been brainwashed. He used his strings to block against Rocinante’s attacks. Rocinante relentless delivered blow after blow. Ribbons and strings clashed against each other. A gunshot was heard and Rocinante coughed up blood, blood seeping through his clothes.

                “Rocinante!” Doflamingo exclaimed.

                “Daddy, help!” Law cried out, struggling in a man’s arms.

                “Law!” Rocinante attempted to use his ribbons to retrieve his son and fight off the attacker but couldn’t. In fact, he felt weakened.

                “I use seastone bullets,” The man grinned. “You’re unable to use your Devil Fruit,”

                “Let the boy go!” Doflamingo demanded.

                The man pointed his gun at Law. “You’re not in a position to be telling me what to do. I have a hostage. Move and I’ll shoot him. And don’t think of using your strings, Doflamingo. I know you have the String-String Fruit,”

                _‘Damn it!’_ Doflamingo cursed as he and Rocinante were forced to obey. _‘He knows about my Devil Fruit! I can’t do anything or else Rocinante’s son will be killed!’_

                The man’s comrades shackled seastone handcuffs to them, causing Doflamingo to become unable to use his Devil Fruit and begin to feel his energy draining. Without warning, they were knocked out.

**Rocinante was too focused on killing Doflamingo that he didn’t pay attention to his surroundings and Doflamingo was focusing on defending and trying to not hurt his brother. Doflamingo is used to killing and destroying and has never really had to hold his power back in a battle.**


	12. Arc II Chapter IV

                Dante would be lying if he said that he wasn’t struggling against the Donquixote Pirates. In fact, his entire crew was being overwhelmed. The remaining Draco Pirates were only five people, although they were capable fighters. However, the Donquixote Pirates had twice the amount of executives. Dante didn’t understand why they had started attacking out of nowhere, but he caught a glimpse of Doflamingo carrying Rocinante and Law away in the sky.

                Dante had both his broadsword Kiba and his katana Tsume drawn. Normally he would only use one at a time, usually leaving Kiba mounted on his back while using only Tsume to quickly deal with easy opponents, but he was up against both Vergo and Diamante. He mostly stayed on the defensive side. Whenever he tried to attack one foe, the other would intercept him. Vergo’s speed and strength as well as Diamante’s Flag-Flag Fruit were difficult to deal.

                “Uhahaha, you should think twice before messing with Doffy’s family!” Diamante laughed as he waved his rapier from his side to above his head, swinging down. “Hangetsu Glaive!”

                A slash of compressed air was headed towards Dante. Dante managed to dodge just in time but this allowed an opening for Vergo to deliver a barrage of blows. Dante fell to the ground and before he could stand up, Vergo planted his foot on the side of Dante’s head. “You shouldn’t have kidnapped Doffy’s brother,”

                “We didn’t kidnap his brother!” Dante denied, attempting to swing his katana at Vergo’s leg.

                Diamante noticed this and stabbed his own sword into Dante’s arm, eliciting a scream from the pirate captain. “Doffy told us that you guys kidnapped and brainwashed his brother. You’re telling us you didn’t. Who do you think we will believe?”

                “Considering that Doflamingo is a crazy asshole that murdered and beheaded Uncle Homing…” Dante didn’t get to finish his sentence since Vergo slammed Dante’s head to the ground. _‘Damn it! If it were only one of them, then I could defeat him!’_

                “Doffy will personally make _you_ pay for what you did to his brother,” Diamante said.

                “DADDY!”

 _‘That’s Law’s scream! What did Doflamingo do to them!?’_ Dante mentally cursed himself. _‘I need to get away from these two!’_

                “Get the **** off my captain!” Fang slammed into Vergo, knocking him off of Dante. His irises had grown wide and red. His human teeth had fallen out, replaced by sharp shark teeth. A dorsal fin protracted from his back. _‘Kill. Kill. Kill.’_

                “How did you defeat Jora and Machvise!?” Diamante exclaimed, managing to retrieve his sword from Dante’s shoulder.

                Fang grinned, showing off his bloody teeth. Pieces of flesh were stuck between them. “I tore a chunk of the bitch’s arm. Tasted disgusting though, like makeup. That guy with a tail is currently trying to stop her from bleeding out,”

                “Fang, go find Law and Rocinante!” Dante ordered.

                “What about you?” Fang asked.

                “I’ll be fine!” Dante shouted. “Just find them!”

                Fang hesitated. Dante was outmatched against Diamante and Vergo.

                “Captain’s orders, Fang! GO!”

XXX

                Fang caught sight of Law struggling in a man’s hold. The man’s comrades were dragging an unconscious Rocinante and Doflamingo with them. Letting out a battle cry, he ran towards them. A bullet grazed his cheek as Marines surrounded Fang, angering him as to why they were doing nothing to the man and his companions. “Why are you shooting at me!? They’re kidnapping a baby!”

                The man holding Law smirked. “People are easily swayed by money, even the so-called upholders of justice. Besides, why do you get a say as to what the Marines should do? You’re a pirate yourself,”

                “Uncle Fang!” Law cried. “Daddy won’t wake up!”

                “A freak like you should be able to draw in a crowd,” The man said, noticing the Fishman traits that Fang had. “I want him captured alive!”

                Fang couldn’t continue chasing after the man since the Marines were attacking him. He couldn’t dodge all of the attacks. When he tried to dodge one person’s sword, another soldier hit him with their own blade. A net with sharp spikes was thrown over him, the barbs digging into his flesh. Fang continued to struggle. Something sharp pricked his neck and he fought back even more until the tranquilizer kicked in.

XXX

                Sicarius could not land a single hit on Senor Pink. His expertise was knife throwing. However, whenever Sicarius threw a knife Senor Pink would use his Swim-Swim Fruit to dive into the ground and avoid the attack. His other opponent was Trebol who had eaten the Sticky-Sticky Fruit. Trebol moved as if he were sliding across the surface and whenever Sicarius’ knives hit him, they did no damage.

                “****!” Sicarius screamed in frustration.

                “Behehehe, there’s no way for you to defeat us!” Trebol laughed.

                “Just give up and your death will be swift,” Senor Pink said.

                “There’s no way in hell I’m letting you bastards win!” Sicarius yelled.

                “Sticky Launcher!” Trebol fired spheres of mucus that exploded on contact.

                Sicarius stumbled back a little bit. He attempted to keep his balance but Senor Pink grabbed him and delivered a suplex. Before Sicarius made contact with the ground, he stabbed one of his knives into Senor Pink’s arm. He threw Senor Pink towards Trebol and the two made contact, sending Trebol flying a few feet.

                “So you aren’t a Logia,” Sicarius deduced. “Just a Paramecia that seems like one,”

                “Sticky-Sticky Chain!” A chain of mucus soared pass Sicarius.

                “Missed me!” Sicarius mocked.

                “Sticky-Stick Meteor!”

Parts of a roller coaster that was in the direction behind Sicarius was stuck to the end of the mucus chain. As Trebol pulled on the chain, the amusement park attraction collapsed onto Sicarius.

XXX

                Zane was up against Lao G. He dodged the attacks rather than strike back. Lao G was starting to get annoyed. Zane kept a calm expression as he continued to move left and right. _‘I am confused. Why is this man attacking me? I have done nothing wrong to him. Perhaps he just needs to let out his anger?’_

XXX

                Armed with only her trident, Sky knew she was no match for Pica. Her stabs would do nothing to him. She was forced to move closer and closer to where her captured crewmates were. “Uhahaha, just give it up girly!” Diamante laughed. “That twig of yours isn’t going to do shit against any of us!”

                Sky’s eyes locked onto the sight of the beaten up Dante and Sicarius, the latter barely conscious. Dante shakily stood up and tackled Diamante who was surprised that the orange haired man could still move. Diamante’s gun clattered to the ground and slid all the way to Sky’s feet. “Shoot my handcuffs!” Dante ordered.

                Sky reached for the gun when her hands began to tremble.

                _She was holding a gun…_

                Sky took a step away from the gun. Her eyes were wide, full of fear as she stared at the weapon.

_Wisps of smoke came from the barrel due to the two bullets discharged…_

                “What are you waiting for!? Break my handcuffs!”

_Her parents were both dead…_

                Sky turned around and fled, leaving a shocked Dante and Sicarius behind. “Should I go after her?” Pica asked.

                “Behehehe, it’ll be more fun to see how her running away affects these two!” Trebol motioned to the two captives.

                “Marines!” Senor Pink shouted, pointing at the approaching troops.

                “Doffy’s probably waiting back at the ship by now!” Diamante said. “Set sail!”

XXX

                As the El Flamenco left Sabaody, the Dragon’s Roar followed and sailed beside them. “Excuse me,” Zane called from the helm. “I think you forgot this man,”

                Lao G has exhausted himself from constantly trying to hit Zane.

                “Lao G!?” The Donquixote Pirates exclaimed before they realized that their own captain was missing.

                “Young Master’s not here-zamasu!” Jora panicked. “Why isn’t he here!? It shouldn’t have taken him that long to bring his brother and nephew to the ship!”

                “Are they still at Sabaody!?”

XXX

                Sky sat in an alley, a cloak concealing her identity from the people passing by. “I can’t save them! They’re on their own!” She gripped the sides of her head. “I’m not strong enough! I don’t want to die! I don’t want to get captured again!” Tears began streaming down. “I managed to escape by somehow coming here…I don’t want to suffer like that ever again…”

**All of the Draco Pirates’ pasts have been mostly planned out.**

**If Zane had fought back, he would’ve lost against Lao G because Lao G is stronger. Since he only dodged, Lao G used up all of his energy.**

**Dante’s main form of combat is sword fighting. Sicarius’ main form of combat is knife throwing. Fang’s main form of combat is just charging in without a plan or weapons. Zane’s main form of combat is martial arts, though he didn’t fight back because he was confused as to who Lao G was. Sky’s main form of combat is with a trident.**


	13. Arc II Chapter V

                Rocinante groggily opened his eyes. He was lying down on a cold stone floor. “Law?” He rasped out. Glancing to one side he saw a stone wall and to the other side were cell bars. He saw Fang and Doflamingo, but his son was nowhere in sight.

                “Rocinante you’re awake!” Doflamingo helped his brother sit up. “Don’t mo—”

                Rocinante ignored him and looked to Fang. “Fang, where’s Law?”

                Fang shook his head. “They shot me with a tranquilizer. I woke up not too long before you. He’s probably holed up somewhere else,”

                Rocinante stood up. “Why are we just sitting around for?” He winced and lifted his shirt up. Torn cloth was tied around his abdomen to prevent him from losing too much blood. _‘I need to find Law! Who knows what they’re doing to him?’_

                “Rocinante, sit down so you don’t aggravate your wound,” Doflamingo advised.

                Rocinante shoved Doflamingo away. “Fang, where did you get those injuries?”

                “Fought against dual-haired bitch and bastard with a tail from pink bird’s crew,” Fang answered. “I tore a chunk of the bitch’s arm and the two immediately retreated. I went after you and Law but those bastards bribed the Marines and I was overwhelmed,”

                “Stop pretending like you care about my brother!” Doflamingo shouted at Fang.

                “Pretending?” This time, Rocinante gave his attention to Doflamingo. “They are not pretending to care about me. They actually _do_ care about me, unlike you,”

                “See? They’ve manipulated you into believing that I don’t care about you!” Doflamingo pointed out.

                Rocinante delivered a punch to Doflamingo’s face. “Stop spouting shit! You don’t care about me nor do you care about anyone else but yourself!”

                “Of course I care about you!” Doflamingo claimed. “You’re my little brother! Why wouldn’t I care about my own family!?”

                “You didn’t care about _family_ when you murdered our father!” Rocinante delivered another attack.

                That set him off and Doflamingo caught the fist. “Father forced us to leave Mariejois! It’s his fault that Mother died! It’s his fault that we were tortured! It’s his fault that we were separated!”

                “We were not separated because of Father!” Rocinante yelled back. “We were separated because _you_ abandoned me! _You_ were the one to walk away! _You_ were the one obsessed with returning to Mariejois!”

                “It’s our birthright!” Doflamingo defended. “And I was going to come back for you but you weren’t there! The Draco Pirates kidnapped you!”

                “The villagers found me and were planning on killing me!” Rocinante revealed. “If Dante hadn’t been there, I would’ve died that day! He _rescued_ me! The Draco Pirates raised me! They’re my _family_! And you have the audacity to say that they don’t actually care about me, that they’re manipulating me?”

                “They forced you to father a child!” Doflamingo pointed out. “They bedded you without you even knowing what sex is!”

                “What the **** are you talking about?” Rocinante shook his head. “They didn’t tuck me into bed and what the hell is with everyone talking about this ‘sex’ thing!? Also, I adopted Law after his ship drifted to ours. Everyone else on his dinghy were dead. What was I supposed to do, leave him to die?”

                “Oi, Torasame tell your friends to shut the hell up!” A guard hit his baton to the cell bars.

                “Where the hell is my son!?” Rocinante demanded, reaching his hand between the bars to grab the guard. Jolts of electricity surged through his body and he let go of the man.

                “Try that again and my finger might hit the wrong trigger,” The guard sneered before leaving.

                Rocinante put a hand to his neck and his eyes widened when he realized that he was wearing a collar. Looking to Doflamingo and Fang, he noticed that they were also wearing collars that resembled a modified version of the ones slaves wore. “Instead of just exploding, the collars were designed to shock the wearer,” Fang informed.

                “Why did that guard call you Torasame?” Rocinante asked. “Fang, do you know where we are?”

                “Torasame…Tiger Shark…that’s what the crowds would call him as I mercilessly tore my opponents to shreds,” Fang looked down to his hands. “I willingly fought in these competitions. Some people did and others were forced to. I mainly did it because I needed to somehow get food and there was no way I was getting a damn job,”

                “Where are we?” Rocinante questioned.

                “An underground fighting ring,” Fang responded. “We’re being forced to fight in the Krex Competition,”

XXX

                Sky looked up at the night sky. _‘It’s been a while since I was on my own,’_ She then shook her head furiously. _‘That doesn’t matter anymore. I’ve been on my own before so I can survive by myself again. Just forget about the Draco Pirates!’_

                She had regretted glancing back towards her crewmates as she ran away. Dante’s eyes were full of hurt and confusion. He didn’t understand why Sky was leaving them, why she had abandoned them.

                Sky shook her head once more. _‘I told Dante and Sicarius when I first joined them that it was for protection and money! They should’ve known better than to get attached to me! They should’ve known better than I would ditch them as soon as they were an inconvenience to me!’_

                She reached into her pocket and took out an old, worn out photo. It was a photo of her and her family back when she was younger, before her brother changed. _‘It’s been so long since I’ve been home. Eleven years have passed in this world. How many have passed there? Does time even flow at the same pace?’_ She began to tear up at the memories from before she joined the Draco Pirates. _‘Does anyone remember me? Do they even miss me?’_

                “Hey girly, why’s a pretty lady like you all alone?” A drunk man interrupted her thoughts as he approached her.

                Sky stood up and picked up her trident. “Stay away,”

                “Wait a second,” The man realized. “You’re Sheen Sky! Yer worth fifty million beri! I’ll have some fun with ya before I turn ya into the Marines,”

                Sky didn’t wait for the man to reach to grab her and instead took action first. She slammed the pole part of her weapon into the man’s stomach before sweeping her legs against the man’s feet. The man lost balance and was knocked back. She ran pass the man before he could even get up.

_‘I’ll need to change my appearance since I’m easily recognizable. Since it’s already been so long, I doubt that Soro followed me here. I can go by my real name after I get rid of the hair dye. I’ll changed my hair style a bit and maybe wear some shades. It’s time to start my life over. Once everything is set, I’m no longer Sheen Sky. I’m Kirigawa Sora once again,’_

**“The first line of the Fight Club, you're talking about the Krex Competition. The second line of the Fight Club, you are talking about the Krex Competition!” –Link Neal, GMM, 2.26.2018**

**I couldn’t really think of a name for the fighting ring and just decided on the Krex Competition which was from _Google Translate Movies ft. Jimmi Simpson_. More info about the Krex Competition will be given in future chapters. **

**Sheen Sky’s name will be written as Kirigawa/Kagawa Sora once her appearance changes. Explanations of her past will be explained in future chapters.**


	14. Arc II Chapter VI

                “The Krex Competition?” Doflamingo questioned. “I haven’t heard of that before,”

                “Most people don’t know about it,” Fang explained. “But the ones that do have people fight to the death. They don’t care about age, abilities, injuries, or all that shit. If you look like you’ll be good entertainment, they’ll kidnap you,”

                “Why doesn’t anyone try to stop them!?” Rocinante asked.

                “The crowds are here to watch and bet,” Fang shook his head. “They consist of mostly criminals and nobles. Hell, if a Marine were here, they’re corrupted. One time I saw Celestial Dragons here but couldn’t see much of them since I wasn’t fighting that day,”

                “But what are they going to do with Law!?” Rocinante demanded. “He’s only two years old!”

                Fang refused to meet his friends’ eyes. “I don’t know…”

XXX

                “Zane?” Dante managed to get into a sitting position. He could tell that he was in a bed. “Where are we?”

                “You and Sicarius-san are on the Dragon’s Roar,” Zane informed. “I tended to your guys’ wounds to the best of my abilities. I have yet to locate Sky-san, Fang-san, Rocinante-san, or Law-kun,”

                Dante grew angry at the mention of Sky’s name. “Sheen Sky is no longer a Draco Pirate! No, she _never_ was a Draco Pirate!”

                Zane tilted his head, confused at Dante’s outburst. _‘Dante-san is typically protective of the crew. Why is his hatred directed towards Sky-san?’_ “Did Sky-san do something to displease you?”

                “She abandoned us,” Sicarius said. His eyes were wide from shock and tears fell, yet his voice remained steadied. “She literally just turned her back to us and ran away,”

                “Perhaps she was unable to help you two due to the Donquixote Pirates?” Zane suggested.

                Dante shook his head. “All I asked was for her to pick up the fucking gun and shoot my handcuffs so that I could fight better! She could’ve done just that! The gun was literally at her feet!”

                “She seemed quite distressed when I caught a glimpse of her fleeing,” Zane pointed out.

                “That doesn’t change the fact that she turned tail and fled!” Dante snapped. “Nakama are supposed to look out for each other, even in our toughest times! She could’ve just ignored what was on her mind and just helped us!”

                “We never know a person’s story until they tell us,” Zane told him.

                Sicarius had ignored the two’s conversation. He curled up into a fetal position and sobbed. After escaping Mariejois with Dante, he was reluctant to trust anyone. He knew that those with slave brand were considered less than human. When Sky first joined, he eventually warmed up to her and she also found out about his slave brand.

                Sicarius gripped his chest. It hurt, not on the outside but on the inside. Sky was the first person who learned his secret when he and Dante decided to form a pirate crew. He had trusted Sky like a friend and a family member. Sky was like a sister to him and she betrayed him. She betrayed them all.

                He didn’t want to be angry with Sky. He knew how it was to fear those that are stronger than you. He knew what would happen if you tried to go up against someone that had more power than you, he had the scars all over his body to prove it. But Sicarius couldn’t control himself and felt some anger with his sadness.

                Sicarius didn’t want to cry anymore. He knew that they could afford to waste any more time. He had to put his emotions aside and rescue Rocinante and Law. He wiped his tears and snot on the sleeve of his shirt and realized there was an additional member missing. “Where’s Fang?”

                Dante looked around the med bay. “I sent Fang after Roci and Law,” _‘No…Did Doflamingo kill him!? I should’ve killed Doflamingo back when I was drowning him when he was three! If only Aunt Mari and Uncle Homing hadn’t arrived then Doflamingo would’ve died!’_

                “I do not think Donquixote Doflamingo left Sabaody Archipelago,” Zane interrupted his thoughts. “The Donquixote Pirates seemed panicked and did not know where their captain was nor were any of our three missing members on their ship,”

                “Then where are they!?” Dante demanded.

                “As I passed through town, I had heard whispers about something known as the Krex Competition,” Zane informed the two. “Is it possible that they were taken to there?”

                Dante paled. “Are you sure that you heard _Krex_ Competition?”

                Zane nodded. “I am certain,”

                “Shit, shit, shit,” Dante cursed. “I’ve been there when my parents and older brother wanted to show me that commoners only exist for entertainment. It’s a fighting ring that forces random people to fight to the death!”

                “Why would they go after Roci and Law though?” Sicarius asked. “Roci has no bounty and Law’s just a baby!”

                “Doflamingo has a bounty,” Zane reminded. “If one were to see him and Rocinante-san side-by-side, their sibling relationship would be obvious. They must have thought that Rocinante-san is as strong as Doflamingo. Law-kun was probably taken as a hostage to ensure that they would obey their orders,”

                “Hey!” The Donquixote Pirates knocked the door down. “If you bastards know where Doffy is, then tell us!”

                “They’re in an underground fighting ring known as the Krex Competition,” Dante answered. “If you storm right in, then you’ll only get yourself killed. The people that go to watch and the ones that work there will be able to defeat you guys if you don’t have a plan. The founder of the Krex Competition, Kirigawa Soro, is bloodthirsty and ruthless,”

                “If you think that we’re just going to abandon Doffy—”

                “ _I_ have a plan,” Dante sighed. “But I’m not going to like it,”


	15. Arc II Chapter VII

                “Torasame’s group, it’s your guys’ turn,” A guard opened the cell door.

                “Where is my son!?” Rocinante demanded.

                “You have some nerves demanding things from me,” The guard waved the remote in front of the blonde.

                “Rocinante, don’t piss him off,” Fang warned. “You dying won’t help us find Law,”

                The three were brought to a large arena. The stands were packed with the audience who were excited to watch people fight to the death. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Krex Competition!” The emcee announced. “On the west side of the ring, we have the Torasame the Man-Eater, the Heavenly Demon, and some random blonde guy who’s probably related to Doflamingo!”

                “I don’t know if I should feel insulted,” Rocinante mumbled.

                Fang popped his human teeth out and protracted his dorsal fin. He let out a loud roar, earning cheers from the crowd. “If we don’t satisfy the crowd, they may just kill us and Law. These people want entertainment,”

                “On the east side of the ring, we have five Fishmen whose names I don’t give a shit about!”

                “ _Five_ Fishmen!?” Rocinante exclaimed. “That’s unfair! They have more people than us!”

                “I told you that they don’t care about fairness,” Fang reminded.

                “Looks like we have easy opponents this time,” Fishman #1 cracked his knuckles.

                “Let’s kill that abomination first,” Fishman #2 suggested. “His existence is such an eyesore! I can’t believe a human and a Fishman mated!”

                “Fang is not an abomination!” Rocinante yelled. “He’s my brother!”

                Doflamingo felt a pang of jealousy and hurt when Rocinante declared Fang his sibling and not him. _‘The sooner I save Law, the sooner Rocinante will forgive me,’_

                “Begin!”

                Fishman #3 and Fishman #4 charged towards Fang who ducked and stood on his hands, kicking the two away. Rocinante create a ribbon blade and threw it towards Fishman #5 who dodged. “Missed me you worthless human!” But Rocinante retracted his ribbon and the blade came back towards him, managing to deliver a wound to Fishman #5’s shoulder.

                Doflamingo was dealing with Fishman #1 and Fishman #2. He fired compacted balls of strings at them if they were at a distance and used Five Colored Strings if they were nearby.

XXX

                The three pirates had managed to defeat the five Fishman, though they were covered in wounds. “W-We’ve won,” Rocinante stuttered but his eyes widened when he saw Fang and Doflamingo kill their opponents. “Why did you do that!?”

                “Were you not listening to me before?” Fang spat out a glob of saliva and blood. “The Krex Competition is a fight to the _death_ , Rocinante. Kill the Fishman,”

                “Draco Pirates don’t kill unless there’s no other way!” Rocinante told him. “There’s got to be another way! All this time that I’ve been with you guys, you haven’t been forced to kill anyone!”

                “These people will not hesitate to kill Law if they are unsatisfied with the match,” Fang reminded. “Just give him a quick death. Think of it as a mercy kill rather than murder if it helps your subconscious. If they’re left alive, they’ll be slaves and suffer,”

                _‘Do it for Law. Do it for Law. Do it for Law…’_ Rocinante hesitantly lifted his ribbon blade up and stabbed Fishman #5 in the heart.

XXX

                They were escorted back to their cell and Rocinante immediately curled up into a ball beside Fang. “I killed someone…”

                “You had a good reason to,” Fang was not used to comforting people. Rocinante usually went to Sky or Sicarius when he was troubled.

                “I took away someone’s life…”

                “If you left them alive then they would’ve suffered a fate worse than death,” Fang sighed.

                “My parents probably hate me now…”

                Doflamingo decided to step in when Rocinante had said that. “They don’t hate you, Roci,”

                Rocinante was too overcome with guilt to be angry at Doflamingo. “They do! When they see me when I die, they won’t want anything to do with me! I _killed_ that Fishman! Their life, their future, was taken away by _my_ hands!”

                “Would you rather have your son die?” Doflamingo asked.

                “Of course not!” Rocinante glared at Doflamingo for even suggesting that idea.

                “Mother and…Father…won’t hate you for doing what you had to do,” Doflamingo told him. “You have to save your son. To do so you had to kill the Fishman. You don’t kill anyone that crosses your path for fun like most pirates. You don’t steal—”

                “We steal from other pirates,” Fang interjected.

                “You don’t steal from _innocent_ people,” Doflamingo corrected himself. “Our parents would understand why you had to kill. They would forgive you and love you…” _‘But they won’t forgive me. I don’t give a single shit about what Father thinks but Mother…She would be disappointed in me. I killed many people, even the innocents and ones who were unable to fight back. Would she still love me? Would she fear me?’_ He bit his lip at the thoughts. _‘Would she hate me?’_

                Rocinante put aside his hatred for his older brother and hugged him, burying his face into Doflamingo’s chest. Doflamingo held Rocinante close, never wanting to let go. It was as if they were children again, Doflamingo hugging Rocinante whenever he was scared or distressed. For that brief moment, Rocinante felt like all of his worries were gone.

                “Alright, enough with the sibling bonding,” Fang interrupted the brotherly moment and held up a role of bandages. “We didn’t win unscathed. Let’s deal with our wounds so none of us bleeds out,”

XXX

                Sky had managed to buy some red hair dye without her identity being discovered. Quickly finding a bathroom with nobody inside, she proceeded to follow the instructions on the box. After a couple minutes, her hair was now red, her original hair color. _‘Time to start fresh again. Sheen Sky is gone now. She was never real. I am Kirigawa Sora,’_ The surname Kirigawa caused memories of her past to resurface. _‘No, Soro is not here. After I jumped off the cliff and fell into the sea, I somehow arrived_ here. _There’s no way that Soro could also followed me. Even if he was in this world, it’s not like he’s on Sabaody Archipelago,’_

                Sora retracted her trident to the shortest possible length and hid it in her backpack. She preferred to keep a low profile and since not many people fought with tridents, she had to keep it out of sight to avoid attention being drawn to her. She wasn’t too skilled in fighting hand-to-hand but she had taken karate classes when she was younger and it would be enough if she had to deal with weaker foes.

                Almost immediately after she exited the building, she was confronted by a group of people. They had a hostile aura around them and Sora prepared to fight. She could tell that these people weren’t fodder enemies. “Who sent you?”

                Their answer made her blood run cold. “Kirigawa Soro put a hefty price for you alive,”

**If anyone didn’t make the connection yet, Sky/Sora and Soro are from the Real World.**


	16. Arc II Chapter VIII

                Sora had lost. She had been restrained, her arms bound behind her back and her eyes blindfolded. She was picked up by one of the men and some minutes later, she had been thrown into a room. She heard crying as her restraints were removed. Her eyes widened when she recognized the child who had also been locked in the room. “Law!?”

                The door was shut after the men left. Law was curled up in a corner, trembling and whimpering. He had bruises on his small body. Sora carefully approached him. “Law, it’s me, Sky,”

                Law tried to back up even more but was already against the wall. “Y-You not Auntie Sky!”

                “It is me Law,” Sora reached to pick him up but the boy flinched.

                “You red! Auntie Sky blue!” Law argued.

 _‘He doesn’t recognize me because I dyed my hair,’_ Sora realized. “I changed my hair color, but my face and voice are still the same,”

                Law hesitated but crawled over to her. Sora brought Law into a gentle hug, careful of the wounds. Law sobbed in Sora’s arms, a bit happier since he wasn’t alone anymore. Sora was worried now. _‘Law is_ always _with Roci. If Law is here, then Roci must have also been kidnapped. But what does Soro want to do with them?’_

XXX

                “So what’s the plan?” Diamante asked.

                “If a Celestial Dragon were to demand Rocinante, Law, and…that bastard…to be their own personal slave, then they won’t be denied as they are ‘gods’,” Dante said.

                “You’re an idiot for stating the obvious,” Trebol told him. “We need to _rescue_ them. Why are you bringing up Celestial Dragons?”

                Sicarius’ eyes narrowed. “Dante, don’t they think you died along with your parents?”

                “They probably do but I still have my title as a Celestial Dragon as long as I have my Celestial Dragon chip,” Dante held up a bracelet with the Donquixote Family Crest. “I’ll just say something along the lines of ‘Celestial Dragons are gods’ and they’ll leave it at that,”

                “YOU’RE A CELESTIAL DRAGON!?” The Donquixote Pirates exclaimed. Even Lao G was too shocked to but emphasis on the G in dragon.

                “I don’t believe that crap!” Diamante accused. “You’re lying! Why would a Celestial Dragon be outside of Mariejois!? You’re not even wearing a World Noble robe!”

                “I never wanted to return to the suffocating life of Mariejois,” Dante said calmly. “I had the same mentality as Uncle Homing and Aunt Mari. I wanted to live life as a human alongside them…” He took a deep breath to calm himself down. “Zane, do we have any hair dye remover?”

                “Yes,” Zane nodded. “It is in the cabinet beneath the bathroom sink,”

                “Prepare a video transponder snail for me please,” Dante then walked away.

                A few minutes later, the video Den-Den Mushi was ready. When Dante returned, his appearance was drastically different. His hair was no longer fiery orange and spiky. Instead, it was platinum blonde that reached his shoulders, his bangs parting at the center. His eyes were a blood red that reminded the four suit executives of the Donquixote Pirates of Doflamingo’s eyes. His attire was the fanciest clothing Dante owned, a black tuxedo. He took a seat beside the Den-Den Mushi and dialed a number.

                _There was slight static as the Den-Den Mushi connected to another end. It was a man with light brown-blonde hair and pitch black eyes. He wore the traditional Celestial Dragon garbs and was laying down on a sofa as grapes were being fed to him by a slave as another one was fanning him. “Who the hell is this-eh?”_

                “Andres it’s me-eh,” Dante’s voice was higher and had a snobby tone to it. “Your younger brother, Donquixote Yan,” He shot a glare towards the gasping Donquixote Pirates to stay quiet.

_Andres was visibly surprised, his jaw dropped and his eyes wide. “Yan? No way-eh! You must be lying! Yan and my parents died-eh!”_

                “I survived that shipwreck-eh,” Yan forced himself to grin. “You want to know why-eh? It’s because I’m a god,”

                _Andres narrowed his eyes. “Yan didn’t think like that-eh. He always had the same behavior as that bastard traitor whom I regret being blood related to,”_

                Yan had to refrain from yelling at Andres. “Mom and Dad taught me better. Celestial Dragons are gods-eh! We’re above the mere commoners!” He wanted to hit himself for saying the next sentences. “Homing and Mari were wrong-eh! They were stupid to live amongst the mere commoners!” He bit his lip before saying the next sentence. “They deserved to die!”

_Andres grinned in a similar manner to Doflamingo. “Glad you finally see the right way-eh!” He then frowned. “Why are you wearing commoner clothes?”_

                “Some stupid slaves of mine ruined my clothes-eh!” Yan lied. “So I gave them slow deaths! I need you to send me another robe-eh!”

                _“Where are you?”_

                “Near Sabaody Archipelago,” Yan answered.

_“We’ll be there in some days. Make those slaves suffer-eh!”_

                The video call ended and the Donquixote Pirates immediately demanded to know about Yan’s last name. “All of you shut the hell up!” Yan snapped. “I did not lie when I said my surname was Donquixote. I’m Rocinante and…Doflamingo’s…cousin,”

                Zane seemed a bit confused at the revelation. “Does Rocinante and Doflamingo know?”

                “No,” Yan shook his head. “I never wanted to use that name ever again. I threw that life away when I assumed the identity of Everfrost Dante. But now, it seems to be the only way to rescue them without anyone getting killed…” _‘If they’re still alive. I know how brutal the Krex Competition can be. They fight to the death unless the crowd wants one opponent to suffer instead. It’s cruel how the World Government turns a blind eye to these sorts of things,’_ He closed his eyes. _‘Soon we’ll save you guys, Rocinante, Law…and maybe Doflamingo,’_


	17. Arc II Chapter IX

                Three long days passed. Rocinante, Doflamingo, and Fang were forced to fight each day and kill their opponents. They still have yet to see Law or find out where he was being held. They only each received a bottle of water and a slice of bread to keep them alive each day. The hunger and thirst didn’t bother them that much, the trio having experienced starvation and dehydration before.

XXX

                Sora and Law were kept locked up in the room, the door only opening to toss them enough provisions to not let them die. Sora was starting to be driven crazy from staying in the room. Nobody even came to torture them physically. Sora knew she should stay strong for Law, but she also knew that Soro was trying to break her psychologically. Soro was trying to get her to let her guard down.

_‘If I let my guard down, what is he planning to do? Is he going to suddenly appear and torture us both? Would he take Law away from me and force me to think of what horrible things he was doing to Law? Is he planning on torturing Law right in front of my eyes? Is he going to force me to be restrained and watch while I am unable to do anything to help Law?’_

                “GAH!” Sora slammed her head against the wall, hard enough to cause pain but not enough to cause a serious injury. “What’s going on out there!? What the f— _hell_ is Soro planning!?”

                Law whimpered at Sora’s outburst and scooched away from her. “Auntie Sky is scary…” He wished that he still had Bepo with him. His polar bear toy had been dropped when the man from before had grabbed him. He didn’t know where Bepo was now or if Bepo was even still intact. He still didn’t understand why the mean people took him away from his family.

 _‘Calm down,’_ Sora took several deep breaths. _‘Law is here too. I need to stay sane for him. I need to make sure he’s alright. I already left Dante and Sicarius behind, but they should be able to protect themselves. Law is just a baby. He doesn’t deserve to suffer. He already lost his biological family,’_

XXX

                Most of the Draco Pirates and the Donquixote Pirates had all been disguised to look like slaves. Senor Pink and Zane wore black suits and sunglasses to look like World Government agents accompanying Yan since it would look suspicious if it was only a single Celestial Dragon with a bunch of slaves. The Donquixote Pirates hated pretending to be slaves but they knew it was necessary in order to rescue their captain.

                The Celestial Dragon ship stopped beside the Dragon’s Roar and El Flamenco. A World Noble wearing a suit complete with an air bubble cringed at the sight. “These ships are disgusting-eh!”

                _‘Shut the **** up you bastard!’_ Yan glared at his older brother. “These are ships that belonged to the slaves-eh. I’m gonna destroy them right in front of their eyes, make them suffer. Right now I’m rubbing in their faces that I can walk around and do whatever I want on their ship as I please-eh. So, got my suit?”

                “Here,” Andres shoved a box into his brother’s hands.

                Yan noticed that there were several female slaves aboard his ship. They were all chained up and refused to make eye contact. Their clothing were all torn, ragged, and dirty. They were terribly skinny and pale. The women were holding back tears, afraid of being punished if their sobs were heard. Yan could still smell the scent of bodily fluids coming from them and grew angry.

                Andres noticed Yan’s stare. “Oh? You want to have a turn with my slaves-eh?”

                Yan narrowed his eyes. “I don’t want to have sex with those women,”

                “Ah, you want to have your own freshly picked slave,” Andres concluded. “Understandable-eh,”

                Yan grabbed Andres by the neck and slammed him to the deck. “You’re disgusting!”

                “What the hell is wrong with you-eh!?” Andres exclaimed.

                “You’re sick!” Yan delivered a kick to Andres’ abdomen, sending him flying towards the railing.

                The World Government agents and slaves watched in awe. The agents didn’t know if they should step in since both parties were Celestial Dragons. They didn’t know who they should defend or how to break the fight up without being punished by one or both parties.

                “I tend to avoid killing but you’re someone that doesn’t deserve to live,” Yan looked to Zane. “Hand me Tsume,”

                Zane nodded and passed the katana to the swordsman. Yan delivered a quick and clean cut, Andres’ head rolling across the deck before rolling into the sea. Blood pooled around the headless corpse and some were splattered onto Yan’s tuxedo. Yan looked to the World Government agents. “I’m a Celestial Dragon so you have to follow my orders,”

                “Y-Yes sir!” The agents stood up straight.

                “I want you to release these women from their chains,” Yan ordered. “Clean them up, patch up their wounds, and feed them until they’re full. Take care of them until you bring them back to their home islands,”  

                The World Government agents were surprised at the orders but nodded. “Yes sir!”

                “But do not report that it was specifically me who gave those orders,” Yan added. “If anyone asks, just use Andres’ name instead. If anyone questions where Andres is, he died in a shipwreck. Am I clear?”

                “Yes sir!”

                “A-Are you really going to free us?” One woman hesitantly asked.

                “My orders are absolute,” Yan assured them. “They cannot go against my will or I may send an admiral after them,”

                “Thank you…” The woman whispered as tears started cascading down her cheeks. “Thank you…” She fell to her knees, the other women following suit.

                Yan headed inside and changed into his World Noble suit. “Let’s head to the Krex Competition,”

XXX

                Sora and Law found their selves in some sort of cage covered with a black cloth. They had been knocked out earlier, sedatives hidden in their bread and water. Sora held Law against her chest, not knowing where they were being transported to. Wherever it was, there were sounds of a large crowd cheering loudly.

XXX

                The next time Rocinante, Fang, and Doflamingo entered the arena, there were no other opponents. “Where are our foes?”

                Soro himself was present in the audience for once and unveiled the cage which Sora and Law occupied. “Do you want to know who you’ll be fighting today?”

                “Law!” Rocinante called towards his son. “You bastard! Let my son go!”

                “Daddy!” Law cried out.

                Soro grinned madly. “You guys will be fighting each other to the death. Only one person walks away alive with their freedom and these two prisoners,”

                The three fighters were silently processing what Soro had said. “What?”

                “You heard me,” Soro repeated. “Two of you will die. The winner will be freed and get these two prisoners, Donquixote Law and my sister, Kirigawa Sora. Well, you guys might know her as Sheen Sky,”

                “Sky?” Rocinante and Fang turned towards the red haired woman and studied her face.

                “We have to fight to the death…” Doflamingo whispered. _‘I don’t want to die. I want to return to my crew but…does that mean that I have to kill Rocinante? I…I can’t! He’s my baby brother! He’s also Law’s father! But in order for Rocinante to survive and be free, that hybrid and I have to die…’_

                “Rocinante,” Fang spoke up. “I want you to kill me,”

                “What?” Rocinante stared at Fang in shock. “Why are you even suggesting such a thing!?”

                “I’ll admit it, I don’t want to die, but you have to rescue your son,” Fang said. “You’re the little brother of the Draco Pirates. As your older brother, it’s my job to make sure you live,”

                “Nah-ah-ah,” Soro continued. “I don’t want a quick kill. I want you three to actually _fight_ to the death,”

                “You’re a monster!” Sora shouted.

                Soro chuckled. “Trust me, sister, I already know,”

                “Daddy!” Law tried to reach for his father through the cage bars. “Daddy, help!”

                Rocinante formed his ribbon blade and turned to Doflamingo. “This is all your fault,”

                “What are you talking about?” Doflamingo eyed the ribbon blade cautiously. “I didn’t take your son hostage,”

                Rocinante lunged at his older brother. “You’re the reason we’re in this mess!”

                Doflamingo managed to dodge. “Rocinante, calm down!”

                But Rocinante didn’t listen and swung the blade. “If you haven’t interrupted my birthday then Law wouldn’t have been kidnapped!” He sent ribbons out to wrap around Doflamingo’s limbs.

                Doflamingo used his strings to cut himself free. “I was trying to free you!”

                Fang assisted Rocinante in his attacks against Doflamingo. Doflamingo did his best to avoid injuries but some attacks managed to land.

XXX

                “We need to hurry!” Yan urged as they ran through Sabaody Archipelago. _‘Please tell me that entrance is still active. It’s the only way I know to get to the Krex Competition. It’s been so many years but please be still active,’_

                They arrived at a building labeled Public Employment Security Office. The sign said it was closed but Yan just kicked the door open, breaking the locks. He led them down a hallway to an underground tunnel. They came to a large doorway, loud voices coming from the other side. They busted the door down and rushed to the railings.

                Rocinante was pointing a gun at Doflamingo. He pulled the trigger.

**  
By the way, the gun was originally Doflamingo's and it was the same gun he used to kill Homing. It had fallen during the fight and Rocinante picked it up before Doflamingo could.**


	18. Arc II Chapter X

                The gunshot echoed throughout the arena. The crowd began to boo. The bullet hadn’t hit Doflamingo and instead had imbedded itself on the ground in front of him. Rocinante had moved his hand at the last moment to make sure he missed his target.

                “Why?” Rocinante asked. “Why can’t I kill you!?” His rage and sadness were visible in his eyes as tears were welling up. “I hate you! You killed Father and it’s your fault that we’re in this mess! I have to kill you to rescue my son and nakama! So then why!?” He dropped the gun and it clattered to the ground. “Why the hell am I unable to shoot you!?”

                “Because you’re too much like your father,” Doflamingo answered.

                “Oi, oi, oi,” Soro frowned. “What happened to all the fighting? Do you want me to kill Law and ‘Sky’?”

                “Sky?” Yan looked towards the speaker and saw the two trapped in the cage. _‘Why is that traitor here? I should let her die but Law is with her,’_

                “Dante,” Sicarius whispered to him. “You’re a Celestial Dragon. Use your title,”

                “Right,” Yan cleared his throat and spoke with louder volume. “All of you should be kneeling to me-eh! I’m a god, a Celestial Dragon!”

                Murmurs spread throughout the audience, wondering why the hell a Celestial Dragon was there.

                Yan raised his voice. “Do you all want to die-eh!? Kneel!”

                The crowd all unwillingly knelt down. Fang, Rocinante, and Doflamingo also kneeled. They were confused as to why the Zane, Sicarius, and the Donquixote Pirates were accompanying the Celestial Dragon and why Dante wasn’t anywhere in sight, but they didn’t want to risk the wrath of a Celestial Dragon. They couldn’t risk their lives nor could they risk Law and Sora’s. The only person that dared to disobey Yan was Soro.

                Soro was surprised that a World Noble had interrupted the Krex Competition, but refused to kneel. “I kneel to no one,”

                Yan drew his handgun and pointed it at Soro. “I said _kneel_!”

                “Or else what?” Soro started to walk down the aisle and towards the World Noble. “Will you call an admiral? You Celestial Dragons can’t even protect yourselves. I don’t see an admiral so…” He held up Sora’s trident that he had taken from her. “I can kill you before you can summon one,”

                “Kill him! Kill him!” The crowd of criminals cheered. “Make him suffer for what his people have done!”

                “The crowd agrees,” Soro smirked.

                “Then so be it,” Yan shot a quick look to the Donquixote Pirates, Sicarius, and Zane. “Go get the new slaves. I’ll put this commoner in his place-eh,” He had nearly forgotten to keep his act up but quickly returned to a snobby tone.

                Soro as well as the audience seemed quite shocked at the acceptance. “Then prepare to die,” He charged towards Yan. “You Celestial Shitheads are too cocky for your own good!”

                Zane tossed Tsume to Yan who managed to catch it right in time to block the trident. Rocinante, Fang, and Sora recognized the katana that belonged to their captain as well as Yan’s fighting style. _‘Dante!?’_

                The others had managed to steal a bunch of keys and unlocked Rocinante and Doflamingo’s bomb collars. They moved out of the way as Yan was thrown in their direction. “We need to get to Law and Sky!”

                As they made their way to the cage, several guards tried to stop them but they were defeated. The audience didn’t care about the two prisoners and were focused on watching a Celestial Dragon fight Soro. Soro was much faster and agile than a regular human. His attacks, although swift, were also powerful. He moved quickly, landing blows and moving to different locations so that Yan couldn’t dodge.

                “I must say, I am quite surprised that a Celestial Dragon like you is still alive,” Soro smirked. “Then again, I am only playing around. This isn’t my full strength,”

                _‘What!?’_ Yan cursed as Soro appeared behind him and stabbed the trident through his chest.

                “Hmm, it seems like they freed Law and Sora,” Soro started to draw the trident out of Yan’s torso. “I’ll go break everyone’s legs so they can’t run,”

                Yan grabbed the trident’s hilt. “You’re still fighting me you ****er!”

                “Looks like you still got some fight in you,” Soro pointed a finger at Yan’s side. “Shigan,”

                Yan resisted the urge to scream as Soro’s finger bullet created another wound, blood soaking his already bloody clothes. He yanked the trident towards him and as Soro was jerked forward, Yan attempted to stab him with Tsume. Soro had expected the attack and side-stepped before delivering a kick to Yan’s groins. Yan’s grip on the trident released as he crippled to the ground, clutching his nether regions.

                “That’s dirty!” Fang charged towards him.

                “Dirty?” Soro dodged all of Fang’s attacks. “I run an underground fighting ring. Why the hell should I care if a move is dirty or not?”

XXX

 _‘How is he so fast!?’_ Sora exclaimed as she watched the fight. _‘How is he so strong!? Why…why is he stronger than me even though he and I are both from the real world!?’_

                “We need to help them,” Rocinante took a step and lost his balance but Doflamingo managed to catch him.

                “You’re too exhausted to fight anymore,” Doflamingo said.

                “I can’t…” Rocinante slumped against Doflamingo’s chest. “I can’t let my family die…not again…If they die…what was the use of…getting stronger?”

 _‘He’s out cold,’_ Doflamingo noted. _‘Now’s my chance to get him and Law out of here. We can leave the Draco Pirates to die,’_ He looked to the fight. _‘They really do care about them. They’re willing to_ die _for them. My crew is my family and this crew is Rocinante’s,’_ “He can’t take us all on,”

                “Doffy what are you saying?” Vergo asked.

                “Ne, ne, we can sneak away while he’s distracted!” Trebol added.

                “Allies?” Sicarius offered. “At least for now,”

                Doflamingo nodded. “We’ll attack him all at once,”

                A loud screech echoed loudly. People in the audience began to cheer even louder as a large creature entered the arena. It looked like a bunch of animal parts stitched together into a grotesque beast. Soro grinned. “Meet my pet chimera. I made him using fierce animals such as Sea Kings, Bananawani, and other creatures,”

                The chimera let out another loud screech before charging towards the Donquixote Pirates and Draco Pirates’ location. Doflamingo picked Rocinante up bridal style, Law still clinging to his father’s shirt. He and the others jumped out of the way. _‘I can’t let Rocinante and Law down or they might be targeted. I’m still exhausted but I can’t just stay still and do nothing! That hybrid is still fighting even though he’s been through as much as I have!’_

                “Stall them,” Sicarius ordered. “Stall them until the admiral comes!”

                Now that got the crowd’s attention. “We won’t let you call an admiral and ruin our fun!”

                “Oh shit,” Sicarius cursed. “Hold everyone off until the admiral gets here!” He took out a Den-Den Mushi as the others, except for Doflamingo, Law, and Rocinante, dealt with the criminals. “Navy HQ, send an admiral! Saint Donquixote Yan was assaulted! Our location is the Krex Competition in Sabaody Archipelago!”

                Doflamingo stared at Sicarius as he hung up. “What did you just say?”

                “Everfrost Dante, the captain of the Draco Pirates, is Donquixote Yan,” Sicarius informed. “He’s your guys’ cousin,”

                “Then why is he here instead of Mariejois?” Doflamingo demanded. “He could be a god and above everyone! He could have everyone bowing to him and serving him! I wanted to go back to that life but I was rejected due to my stupid father!”

                “Ask him not me,” Sicarius said. “Stay here and protect Roci and Law. I’m gonna try to stop Dante from bleeding out. Hopefully the admiral is quick enough to get here before we die,”

                It was a bloodbath. The chimera didn’t care if you were a Draco Pirate, a Donquixote Pirate, or one of the people that was watching the match. It attacked anyone and everyone. The only person safe from its wrath was Soro. Sicarius managed to grab both Yan and Fang, whose adrenaline had worn off, and dragged them to Doflamingo’s side.

                “I hate this place,” Fang declared.

                “I knew I should’ve taken Rocinante back to Mariejois and kept him locked up in a room for eternity,” Yan said as Sicarius tore pieces of the Celestial Dragon robe to form bandages. “Though, he most likely would’ve gotten pissed at me overtime,”

                Law was trembling with fear. “A-Are we gonna d-die?”

                Yan smiled at the two year old in an attempt to reassure him. “Of course not. We’re gonna survive and escape,”

XXX

                _‘An admiral!?’_ Soro silently cursed as he dodged all attempts to harm him. _‘I can handle the Draco Pirates and Donquixote Pirates with my pet chimera, but I can’t handle an admiral!’_ He reached into his pocket and took out a small device. He smirked as a he pressed a series of buttons. “I’m not sticking around for an admiral,”

                The device was knocked out of Soro’s hand. Tsume was stabbed through the small box and electricity was sparking around it.

                “You fools!” Soro shouted. “Do you know what that device is!?”

                “Don’t know, don’t give a single shit,” Yan said. “But I know whatever you planned to do would be harmful to my nakama,”

                Soro pulled Tsume out of his device and started to frantically click buttons. “No…Damn it! ****!”

                A loud high-pitched screech emitted from the device causing everyone to cover their ears. Soro ended up dropping the device and as it hit the ground, a white blast blinded everyone.

**That’s the end of Arc II. Arc III is currently being written. Some of you will probably be able to predict what that device will do since I’ve mentioned where Sora/Sky and Soro are from.**

**Soro isn’t overpowered. It’s just that the Donquixote Pirates aren’t as strong as they were in the Dressrosa Arc since they’re about twenty four years younger. On the other hand, the chimera is slightly overpowered but has a very short lifespan.**

_**Fallen Dragons** _ **will be on hiatus until I have all chapters for Arc III prewritten.**


End file.
